The First Time in a Century
by TheFoolontheHill301
Summary: Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen. The story of Jasper and Alice's travels to the Cullen house. It begins when they meet and will eventually get to current day - after Breaking Dawn.
1. Chapter 1

_I have to get away. Away. To wherever that may be. _Jasper repeated these words in his head over and over. It was the only thing keeping him sane. He had to get _away_. Away from Maria, now away from Peter and Charlotte. Away from that life and into the new one. Everywhere around him he could smell it – that delectable, beautiful smell that taunted him as he walked. He pulled his scarf closer around his face and held his breath. He couldn't feed. Not here in the middle of the city. _Just keep going away._ Oh how he wished he could be more specific. But that one thought was all he had to control himself. He had nowhere to go. But he couldn't wander alone without a destination, so 'away' was the best place he could think of. He had been in Maine with Peter. South was direction he ended up going in. Philadelphia was where he ended up.

He had to stop. He had to rest. He had to feed. He pulled his scarf tighter across his nose as a woman passed, giving him a strange look. It was not a particularly cold day; no doubt he looked out of place in his long, black jacket and winter scarf. At least his eyes weren't their usual glowing crimson. He leaned against the side of the building, deciding, for the first time in weeks, to come up with a plan. He had to feed. He was going crazy. If he didn't drink _something_ he was going to take a whole bunch of people in the street right here and that certainly wasn't good. Another woman walked by. By accident, Jasper took a breath, inhaling the sweet scent of her blood. He growled in his chest, baring his teeth behind his scarf, but turned silent when she turned to look at him. He stared back at her and she moved away quickly, frightened by his ravage demeanor. There had to be a person around her somewhere that didn't matter – someone who no one would notice was gone. His black eyes landed on a diner across the street. It was extremely small, rundown, and dingy. One older man stood behind the counter and a small, black-haired girl sat on a stool in front of him. His breathing increased quickly as a plan circulated in his mind, the scent of blood circulating through his mind making his plan seem more and more appealing.

He could take the old man, and maybe the girl. He'd have to talk to her first, see where she was from and see if she had a family or a lover. Perhaps he would spare her and just take the man. He licked his top lip tenderly as he imagined how good it would feel to sooth the immense burning sensation in his throat. Putting on a straight face, he stepped out into the street and was standing in front of the diner within a second. He pushed the door open lightly, and began to walk up to the counter but stopped short when the girl turned and he saw her face clearly.

The first thing he noticed was her eyes. They were black to the core – not normal pigment for a human. The second thing he noticed, after he looked over her face, was that she was gorgeous. She was the most beautiful being he had ever seen. She had the same sense of dignity and grace as Charlotte and Maria had, but she seemed…warmer, friendlier in a sense. His eyes went wide and he took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the girl and the man. He smelled delicious, but she had a much more unique smell, a natural perfume – cinnamon, hyacinth, and pear. She was definitely not human. He felt his body tense when she rose from her stool and approached him without hesitation. Jasper certainly was not used to being approached as casually as this. When she spoke, Jasper nearly took a step back in surprise. "I've been waiting a very long time for you," the girl said.

Jasper stared at her in wonder for a moment before slowly tilting his head downward in a slight bow. "I'm sorry, Ma'am," he said gently. She held her hand out and he considered it for a moment. Was this it? Was this what he'd been in search for? What was this even? Could he trust this girl? She didn't look very frightening. And he could hold his own. His pitch black eyes glinted in slight confusion as he glanced to her face again. There was trust there…he could feel it. She already knew him – though he didn't know how. He narrowed his eyes slightly and placed his hand carefully in hers, taking a good hold on it. Immediately he felt comfort and he knew he'd made the right choice. A tiny smile played on his lips for the first time in years.

Without a word, the girl squeezed his hand gently and led him out the door of the diner. Jasper forgot all about the old man. In fact, he couldn't even feel the burning in his throat. For the first time, in a very, very long while, Jasper felt hope.


	2. Chapter 2

Jasper watched her. She was so graceful and beautiful when she ran. Her hair was blown off her face exposing the perfect features of her lips, jaw, and neck. He kept up with her easily, she wasn't trying to race, and he was thankful. Hopefully she would take him somewhere where he could feed. Maybe it was a place where he could live happily, with some sort of mission in his life. He couldn't bear to live anymore with nothing to do.

After about ten minutes of admiring the girl, his curiosity finally got the better of him. "My name's-" "Jasper," she finished for him. "Jasper Whitlock." Jasper nodded curtly, his eyebrows brought together in a pure look of confusion. "Yes. How do you know that?" he asked. "My name's Alice," she said, completely ignoring his question. "Nice to meet you, Alice," he said with a smile. He hated being ignored, but something about this girl made him certain she was going to tell him everything he needed to know. "Where are we going?" he added warily. She probably wouldn't tell him. He didn't really mind it either. Surprise wasn't one of his favourite things, but at least he had a destination and a mission – to follow Alice.

Suddenly, Alice stopped and he flew right past her. He skidded to a stop about a hundred feet away and ran back to her in a hurry. Was something wrong? "Jasper," she said as he approached. "You know how you can control emotions?" Jasper's eyes went wide. "How do you know that-" "Let me finish," she said calmly. "I also have an ability that comes in quite useful. I can see the future depending on people's decisions. As soon as you decided to leave Peter and Charlotte, I saw you meeting me and I went to wait for you." Jasper stared at her in disbelief. "That's…that's not possible…" She couldn't have seen him coming. He didn't even know he was going here. And how did she know Peter and Charlotte? "I…I don't believe you…I _can't_…" He shook his head lightly from side to side. She sighed. "You asked where we were going?" she said in a soft voice. "I had a vision about a family…a coven living east of here…they have a different way of life and I know they'll take us In if we go to them." Jasper shook his head again. "What…what do you mean a different way of life?" A smile played at the edge of Alice's lips. "I know you're not happy with being out of control of your thirst…" Jasper's eyes went wide yet again. "They are…well…they call themselves _vegetarian_ vampires." She chuckled to herself. The sound was like beautiful bells to Jasper's ears. "Vegetarian? I don't…understand." Alice giggled at him. "They don't drink human blood," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They hunt _animals_…much more civilized." _Animals._ Why hadn't he ever thought of that? That was a great idea! "But does that really work?" he asked with a slight confused frown. "Don't they…thirst for humans?" Alice frowned now with him. "I don't know. I've never met them. But we'll be sure to ask when we get there!" She bounced slightly and took off running again. Jasper caught up to her in a second.

"Where is 'there' exactly?" he asked. "I don't know," Alice said with a frown. Jasper wondered if this had ever occurred to her before. Surely, it had to have already posed a problem. "I keep seeing…lots of…woods…They live in a forest somewhere. But don't worry, I saw us going this way." She smiled as if it made everything that much simpler. And for a moment, Jasper almost believed it did.

Just seeing that smile on her face lasted him a few more hours. His attention span, having been stretched and warped from years of military training, held for a long time. They ran in silence and Jasper cared not as the sun began to sink behind them. It would be dark out soon, the perfect time to hunt. _Hunt._ That word echoed in his mind. The bomb dropped on his relatively good mood and he could feel depression start to sink in again. He had to kill more. He could run as far as he wanted, but he'd never escape that. Murder. The only thing that really hurt him. The thing that continuously chased him; chased his happiness away. A growl slipped from deep in his chest. He could feel Alice's peppy mood turn to worry as she looked up at him. "You're thirsty?" she asked in a small voice. He nodded. "So am I." Again, she stopped running and he sped past her.

"Maybe we should give Carlisle's way of life a try tonight," she was muttering as he approached. She was looking around warily, as if something were to attack…or as if she were about to attack something else. "Who is Carlisle?" Jasper asked, looking around for what she was being so careful of. A few deer moved in the woods a few hundred meters away. They were the only notable creatures around for miles; he couldn't find anything else…or anyone else. "Carlisle is the head of the coven I was telling you about." Jasper nodded, but a frown quickly formed on his face when he realized what she meant. Her eyes froze on the deer and the crouched down into a hunting position. Out of habit, Jasper crouched too, ready to spring if anything came at them. "You're suggesting we drink the _deer_ instead?" Alice nodded, but didn't say anything. She leaned forward slightly, and then she was gone; off into the woods to tackle Bambi and suck the life out of him. He sighed, relaxing from his position slightly and looking around. He wasn't going to seriously make a meal out of a _deer_ was he? That was a disgrace.

Suddenly, there was a movement behind him. His ears pricked and he spun in his place and was crouched low on the ground almost instantly. There in front of him, snarling and fuming, was an enormous mountain lion. He was nearly the size of Jasper himself, and certainly a lot angrier. Jasper growled back in spite of himself. The great cat crouched into a defensive position. Jasper could smell its blood. It smelled nothing like humans' …it was like water compared to tomato juice. It didn't smell very appealing at all. He shook his head and the lion back up a little. Of course it would be scared. Animals were terrific at sensing danger. And Jasper had 'danger' written all over him.

Eventually, the animal relaxed. Jasper hadn't moved in close to five minutes, curious to see the creature's reaction. The lion began to sniff around the ground for food. Jasper crouched low, touching his hands to the ground. He ducked his head down, a growl erupting from deep in his chest. The lion turned its head to look directly at him. This was a battle of speed, he knew it, not power. The lion had no chance again him. He moved his arm forward, causing his body to shift downward. His pitch black eyes remained on the animal until it returned to sniffing its patch of grass. Jasper straightened out his legs slightly and then, without warning, he pounced on the creature. He knew he had won immediately after feeling its fur in his fingers. He rolled it over, slamming the flailing, roaring figure to a nearby tree, digging his nails into its skin. As soon as he smelled the blood he grinned, leaned in, and cracked the spine at the neck with his teeth, causing the animal to go limp. Blood trickled down from the wound and Jasper pressed his lips to it hesitantly.

It tasted disgusting; completely horrible, bitter, and muddy. But it soothed the burning in his throat, and for that he was thankful. He sucked the animal dry within a minute and by the time he was standing again, Alice was right beside him. She had a sour look on her face, like she had just drunk a pint of pure lemon juice. "That was…interesting," she muttered with wide eyes. Jasper nodded in agreement. Her eyes, now that they weren't pitch-black, were even more beautiful than he imagined. An alarming shade of crimson that seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. He smiled absentmindedly at the sight. Alice's eyebrows shot up. "What are you smiling at?" she asked, clearly confused at his random outbursts of happiness he'd displayed that day. "You," Jasper said quietly. "You are very pretty." Alice continued to frown deeper and deeper until her eyes grew wide and she was looking past Jasper.

He turned his head quickly, but there was nothing there, only a dead lion on the ground and a bunch of trees. "Alice, are you alright?" he asked, looking back to her. She was still frozen in that spot, her blanks eyes seeing nothing in the woods in front of her. He began to panic slightly, realizing he'd be lost without her. He'd have no cause, no mission, no destination…really, no reason to live. He held her shoulders tightly. "Alice, what the hell are you doing?" He said a bit louder. "Please come back…"

And then, as suddenly as it had started, it ended, and Alice was back to Earth. "Why are you shaking me?" she asked, but made no attempt to remove his gentle grasp. "What was that?" Alice smiled, as normal as ever. Jasper was bewildered. Was she crazy? Was she trying to torture him? She leaned forward so her lips were nearly pressed to his ear. He shivered. "I was having a vision, Jasper," she whispered with another giggle. "What did you see?" he whispered back. Alice pulled away and removed his hands carefully from her shoulders. "You," she said pleasantly. "And me. Traveling together. To Carlisle's."

"Oh," Jasper looked to the ground. He was a tad bit disappointed. He wasn't sure why though. Perhaps he had expected more? He was glad she was alright, she'd given him quite a scare, but he'd hoped her vision had been... What? He couldn't figure it out. "Shall we move on?" she asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. Jasper nodded. "Yes," he replied, still deep in his thoughts. "Yes, let's move on."

They continued running east. He followed Alice's every step, making sure not to lose her. She didn't stop for a long time. They ran in silence, Alice having visions of different locations occasionally, causing her to suddenly change direction. Jasper was partially thankful for the lack of conversation. It gave him time to think.

He was almost certain of his feelings now. It all felt so familiar, yet stronger than it had before. In his past he'd traveled with Maria, and developed romantic feelings for her. He assumed that's what was going on now, but he wasn't sure. It was certainly absurd that he develop these feelings after only knowing her for a few days. But, after considering every possibility, romance was the closest thing he could find. He'd never felt anything as strong as this before, however. He felt a certain bonding between the two of them; a certain trust that he never had with Maria nor anyone else. He felt it was his duty to protect Alice and to keep her happy so much so he would risk his life for her. He considered many times over the week of mentioning the emotions to Alice, to see if she returned the same feelings, but he decided it would be better to keep to himself. He was being irrational. He needed more time to figure this out. And he had all the time in the world.


	3. Chapter 3

Jasper had completely forgotten what direction they were headed. Alice had changed her mind so many times that he didn't even bother to keep track anymore. She assured him they wouldn't get lost, not that he cared much if they did, but he trusted her, and therefore asked no questions. Before long, they had a bit of a tradition. Every four to five days they would stop and feed, usually on any large animal they found in the woods, occasionally landing in a big city and actually taking a human or two, much to Jasper's delight. He had traveled around for most of his life, but had never really paid much attention to his surroundings and was surprised when he actually recognized the area for once.

"We're in Conroe," Jasper said suddenly one day as they walked, human pace, through a small town in ninety-degree heat.

"Where?" Alice asked, kicked a rock along the dirt road stretched out in front of them.

"Conroe, Texas," he replied with a frown. He had fought many wars here. It still smelled of death and ashes. Certainly not pleasant. "Texas?" Alice squeaked in a disapproving tone.

"No…this isn't right. We should be…north. Northeast, I think…" She worked out the visions to herself, trying to make sense of what she had seen. "We were definitely in cooler weather…and in a forest…" Jasper thought idly how there couldn't possibly be anymore forests for them to go through, when a familiar scent filled his nose.

His body automatically froze and he became alert. His ears pricked at the smallest sound. The scent…it accompanied danger. It brought with it the most terrible memories and experiences… But that was impossible. How could she be here? He left, never to see her again. He heard the shuffling of feet behind them and his hand grasped Alice's arm tightly, pulling her from her thoughts to concern her with the current situation.

"Jasper?" Her voice was suddenly full of worry and she rubbed his forearm lightly with her free hand. "What's wrong?" Jasper didn't respond. He didn't breath. He thought, just maybe, it was a figment of his imagination. Perhaps the scent came from the surroundings. But it was too strong. "Jasper Whitlock," a cold voice sounded from behind them. Alice turned to look at her and gasped, but Jasper stayed the direction he was facing. He closed his eyes; he didn't want to see her. "Well, aren't you going to say hello? And introduce me to your friend?" the voice spoke again in a heavy southern accent. At the mention of Alice, Jasper turned on the spot, pulling her behind him and curving his body over hers protectively. And he saw her.

Five foot and eleven inches tall, with pale skin, reddish-brown hair down to her back, and blood-red eyes. Jasper had not seen Maria since he had run away from her and the newborn armies years ago. With her, she had a older-looking newborn. He was a few inches taller than her with dark olive skin, crimson eyes, and shaggy black hair. Jasper could tell he wasn't as newly turned as Maria usually kept her troops. He was probably Jasper's replacement. Maria smirked at Jasper and he growled back at her, moving so he was covering Alice more.

"I'm sorry, Jasper," she said in a sugary-sweet voice that sent shivers down his spine. "I didn't know she was your mate." Jasper's eyes flew open wide and he nearly let down his guard.

"She's not my mate," he growled. He thought he heard Alice giggle from behind him, but he ignored it. Maria smirked at him.

"I assume you didn't come back to visit me then, Sweetie?" she asked him in an innocent voice. Jasper growled again. Her newborn worker snarled back menacingly and Jasper turned on him, baring his teeth. The newborn backed off immediately. Maria laughed a hard laugh. "You always were a frightening one, Jazzy," she said. Jasper took deep breaths waiting for her to do something. She didn't. She just stood there, staring at him innocently.

"You left, I assume, thinking you'd never see me again, is that right?" she snapped suddenly after a few moments of silence. Jasper nodded once and resumed his defensive position. Maria nodded back to him, her eyes suddenly cold. "Go then," she said. It wasn't an offer, it was an order. He tensed, recalling how she used to order him around. His grip tightened on Alice's arm.

"Get on my back," he muttered only low enough for her to hear him. In a flash, Alice was on his back and they were running, nearly flying, out of the town and across the plains to the northeast.

"Jasper, who was that?" Alice asked, her arms held tightly around his neck. Jasper didn't respond, but continued to run for a long time. He assumed Alice could see that he was going to tell her everything soon enough. Within four hours they were in Arkansas in a forest at the very southern border. It was dark when Jasper finally stopped and placed Alice swiftly on the ground beside him. "Who was that?" she asked again with large, innocent eyes. Jasper looked away from her.

"Let me tell you something," he said holding perfectly still and staring intently at the ground. "When I was first turned…that woman back there, Maria was her name, she used me to control armies of newborns to-"

"No…" Alice whispered, cutting him off. He looked up to her face which was frozen in a shocked expression. "You were involved with that?" she asked with huge, round eyes. He nodded shamefully. "But the Volturi had to intervene…that was really serious for a while-"

"The precise reason I left," he said gravely. "I was tired of the murder and the pain." He shook his head. "But I'm done with that now."

They stood in silence for a few minutes. He could feel the fear quickly slipping away from her and he was relieved. She giggled quietly and Jasper turned to look at her. She had one hand placed over her mouth, holding back her chuckles. "What are you laughing at?" he demanded, finding it strange he found it cute and not offensive.

"I was just thinking…when Maria said she didn't know I was your mate…and you said I wasn't…you weren't being serious, were you?" Jasper blinked at her.

"W-What?" Alice giggled again. She danced forward and took Jasper's hands into hers, swinging them back and forth lightly. "You know we're mates, right?" Jasper looked at her as if she were insane.

"What are you talking about?" he asked cautiously.

"Everyone has a mate. If it weren't for my visions, then we probably wouldn't have found each other. But we did, and now we're going to be together forever."

Jasper started at her some more. If this was true…then that would explain why he felt so strongly about her. It would also explain that initial feeling of trust and bonding that he found so impossible. She was his soul mate? They were destined for each other? How come he hadn't seen it before? "Alice…" She placed a finger over his mouth.

"Shh…" She silenced him.

She stood on her tip toes, placed a hand on either of his shoulders, and pulled his face down to hers, planting a kiss on his lips. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. Carefully, he placed his hands on the small of her back and lifted her closer to his, deepening the kiss ever so slightly. It was amazing how well they seemed to go together. It was like they were made for each other. He opened his mouth against hers and she moaned lightly. Reluctantly, Jasper pulled away to look into her face. Her eyes were wide as she peered up at him through her long eyelashes. She was scared – afraid she'd done something wrong. Jasper laughed, sincerely, for the first time in nearly sixty years. "I'm sorry, Alice," he said softly. "But that sound you made…it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard." She smiled and he bent down to kiss her gently once again.


	4. Chapter 4

Over the course of the next few months, Jasper starting finding things much clearer between Alice and himself. It was as if the knowledge of their relationship, of their fate to be together forever, allowed them to be connected in ways he never thought possible. He could feel her being – not just her feelings, but her thoughts. He knew what she was going to do, and why, at all times. The same happened with her. She seemed to know, without her visions, what Jasper was planning and feeling before he acted. Their love became stronger too. Every time Alice kissed him his insides would burn with passion. They ran hand in hand now, never letting the other out of their sight. And they finally had a destination – California. Alice had seen it in a vision, a high school in California that they passed on their way. They were now at the center point of Oklahoma and well on their way.

During the day, they would stay in the forest not to attract attention to their more prominent features. At night they would prey on livestock and small animals they found as they went. Occasionally, they would stop running, every couple of days or so, to sit around and talk, trying to work out a plan or just get to know each other better. One night, about seven months into their journey, they decided to stop deep within the forests of northern Utah. Jasper had been thinking, briefly, that he knew nothing about Alice's past so he decided to ask as they sat, on his jacket, in the roots of a large oak tree sheltered from the rain.

"My human life?" she questioned with a most concerned expression, shifting under Jasper's arm to snuggle up to his shoulder. "I…I don't know anything about my human life. I thought when you were turned you forget everything." Jasper frowned. That wasn't right. He remembered everything. The memories were unclear, like there was a thin barrier between that world and this new one, but he still remembered.

"That's strange," he muttered under his breath. Alice turned in his embrace to wrap her arms around his neck.

"What about you?" she asked with a placid tone. Apparently, not remembering her past life didn't bother her much. Jasper smiled warmly.

"I was fond of my life," he said serenely as thunder boomed around them. "When I was seventeen I enrolled in the Confederate army and worked up to major within two years." He smiled at the thought. His father had always told him he had a way with people.

"What about your family?" Alice asked with reverence, as if the topic was a gentle one.

"I lived with my parents, Cal and Patricia Whitlock," he recalled, trying to recall his mother's face. He couldn't. "I loved them, but they wanted me to go to school and become a lawyer…I didn't want to, so I ran away." Alice smoothed down his hair lovingly, twisting the blonde curls around her fingers.

"Did you ever tell your parents you wanted to be in the military?" she asked. Jasper sighed.

"No," he said sadly. "I was to return home a few months later to tell them where I'd been and how much I'd accomplished, but when I got there, I found them dead – along with half the town." Alice's face fell.

"What happened?!" she asked, outraged that someone could do something so horrible. Jasper chuckled lightly at her reaction.

"The war happened, Alice. The north had invaded our towns and killed all our people." He sighed. "I regretted never telling my parents about my decision, I think. But it all worked out in the end." He smiled at her to let her know she'd made everything worth while. She smiled back with gratitude.

"Do you remember being turned?" she asked with the same respect as the other question. Jasper nodded grimly.

"I had been ordered to take a boat load of women and children to safety after evacuation. I was on my way back to my troops when Maria and two others stopped me." He shivered, not wanting to speak the details out loud. "She turned me that night." He frowned at the ground and Alice knew he wasn't in the mood to talk about it anymore.

She continued to stroke his hair as she moved closer to him, trailing her lips along his jaw line and pressing a kiss to his neck. Jasper inhaled sharply as his insides burst into flames again. Alice giggled and kissed him again, lightly nipping his ear with her teeth. Jasper could feel her intentions immediately. Her body emitted the strongest emotions he'd ever felt from one person. He willed her to feel relaxed and calm. Her kisses came slower now, trailing along his jaw and chin until she reached his mouth. She opened her mouth slowly to deepen the kiss and Jasper felt an odd burning sensation in his chest he'd never felt before. It was a lot like the thirst he felt for blood, but completely different at the same time.

Jasper kept a tight hold on Alice and flipped them both over so he was lying on top of her, kissing her passionately. He felt her hand tangled in his hair; her other hand ran up his back under his shirt. Her fingers were gossamer against his scarred, pale skin – it felt wonderful. Carefully, he placed his hands on her thighs and pulled them up to be on either side of his hips. She moaned ever so quietly and a low growl erupted from deep in his chest where the fire was. He'd never get tired of that sound. It was heavenly music to his ears.

--

Jasper stared at the thick canopy of leaves above them. Sunlight leaked through causing Alice's bare back to sparkle like a diamond. Rainbows bounced off the nearby rocks. It was a beautiful site. He absentmindedly ran his fingers up and down her spine over her flawless skin. Her tiny body was stretched out over his, her feet only coming to about half way down his legs. He smiled as he thought of the height difference. She was so cute. Alice shifted, kissing his chest a few times and speaking in a soft voice that reminded Jasper of wind chimes, "I love you, Jasper." The fire burned inside of him again and he buried his face in her hair to keep it down. Her arms tightened ever so slightly around his neck.

"I love you too," he said, pulling his arms around her and holding her tight to him. She kissed his neck and chin before burying her face in his chest again.

"Do you think we'll get to Carlisle's ever?" she asked in a tiny voice. Jasper rubbed her back as gently as he could.

"I'm certain of it," he said reassuringly. Alice sighed.

"Good…perhaps they can help us with this new diet. I'm beginning to have a tough time with it." Jasper went tense.

"So am I," he whispered.

Alice took her arms from around Jasper's neck and placed them flat on his chest to push herself up. Reluctantly, Jasper released his grip on her. She sat on his stomach, straddling him. A shiver went down his spine as he peered up at her. She was completely perfect, gorgeous, and angelic. His breath held in his throat for a moment as he ran his fingers over her perfect body. Alice giggled and stopped his hands on her stomach, holding them securely in her own. "Jasper," she said softly. "I had a vision." Jasper waited patiently for her to continue. "We weren't going to California," she said with a tiny pout. "We were in South Dakota, talking to a small group of nomadic vampires like us." Jasper tilted his head to the side curiously.

"Was it Carlisle?" he asked, removing his hands from hers and softly holding her by the sides. He knew it would certainly make her better if her visions had proved useful.

"No," she said with a deeper frown. "These vampires were rogue, I could tell." Jasper wondered what the physical difference was when another wave of emotion hit him.

She was upset – defeated. Jasper willed her to feel confident and relaxed. "I think they might be able to tell us where Carlisle is though," she said with a bit more enthusiasm. He couldn't help but smile brightly at her.

"Where are we going next then?" Alice considered him for a moment He guessed, by her sudden feeling of worry, that she knew he couldn't keep up this _vegetarian_ diet much longer.

She leaned down to lock their lips in a passionate kiss. Jasper moaned deeply as memories of the previous night flooded his mind. She moved away slightly, breaking the kiss, but staying close to his face. "South Dakota," she whispered against his lips. He closed his eyes and sighed ever so quietly. South Dakota was a long way away. They had a big trip ahead of him. Jasper's throat burned with thirst as he thought about it. He was going to need to feed . And not a substitute meal of rabbit and deer. A human.


	5. Chapter 5

Jasper crouched low in the alley, restraining a growl in his chest. The man was only a few feet away, fumbling in the darkness with his keys to let himself into the apartment. He looked stressed. A pang of sympathy and guilt hit Jasper as he peered at the man over the trash can. But that feeling soon vanished when a gust of wind gave him a nose-full of the man's scent. Jasper smiled deviously. He smelled delicious. His black eyes sparkled with delight as he thought of how satisfying it would be to finally have a decent meal. He pictured himself getting up and walking over to the man who would be frozen with fear. He would feel the man's pulse and then press his lips to his neck…

Jasper pounced on the man, tackling him to the ground. The man tried to shout, but Jasper slammed him against the wall, smashing his head and causing him to pass out. Blood starting rushing from the wound and Jasper could restrain himself no more. He nearly tore the man's neck off as he bit down, gulping down as much blood as possible.

The feeling was beyond explanation. The burning was soothed and Jasper felt as though he could see, hear, and feel clearly for the first time in his life. He felt powerful, like he could do several laps around the world and still be able to put up a good fight. He felt like, if Alice were there, he could rock her from here to the moon. When the man was completely dry, he tossed the dead body aside and smiled greedily to himself. "Jazz…" Alice's voice sounded from behind him. He turned to see her.

Her eyes were a bright, crimson red. Jasper smiled pleasantly. "Hello, my love," he said smoothly, his southern drawl more pronounced than usual. Alice giggled and moved toward him, gently placing her hands on his chest. "Feeling better?" she asked with an innocent pout. "Yes," he said with a smirk. He leaned down to kiss her, but she moved back automatically using her conveniently placed hands to push him away. "Uh uh," she said shaking her head. "No. You use that energy to run me upstate." She pointed her finger to the ground and spun it around as if she were stirring an imaginary drink – Jasper cue to turn around and crouch down. He did. She locked her arms around his neck, wrapping her legs around his middle. "Let's go!" she said bouncing slightly. Jasper laughed and shook his head. She certainly was one curious little creature.

He turned onto the main street, made a right, and off they went. While they ran, Jasper calculated the amount of time it would take them to get to South Dakota like in Alice's vision. If they were in northern Kansas now, and took them ten hours to get here from northwest Oklahoma, then in about fourteen hours they would be inside the borders of good 'ol South Dakota. Joy. Jasper saw the end of the road coming up and he leapt over the river at the end. He landed swiftly on the other side and took off running again immediately, ignoring the looks he could from a lonely farmer stationed near the docks. Alice giggled.

As they ran, they remained nearly silent as they always did. Again, Jasper had time to think, to work out a plan – something he was exceptionally good at. However, he was not organizing plans to get to Carlisle's coven faster, as he usually did, or to find food, or to disguise themselves. He was thinking about his future with Alice. He had been thinking about that a lot lately. If they were going to live together forever, then shouldn't they do it properly? Shouldn't they be married? The thought terrified Jasper. Where he was from, husband and wife meant nothing more than a good place to inherit money and someone to help you make babies. Jasper wanted more than that. And he knew Alice well enough now to know if they had a wedding that she'd want a big fancy ring and a huge ceremony and party. That was close to impossible so….

Then there were different religions. The Wiccans had a matrimony ceremony that had something to do with dancing around a fire. That might be nice, though he was quite sure it had more to do with dead or something morbid….they wouldn't die anyway so that was out. How else could they officially tie the knot? There might be some special vampire way of doing things. That would be cool; traditional at least. No matter what they did, there was no way Alice would have it be plain and casual. It would have to be an ordeal. And they would both be the center of attention. Fantastic.

But Alice never seemed like the sort of person that would deal well with commitment. She seemed to be the sort of person that loved to do things spur-of-the-moment. It was almost inconceivable to sit her down and have a serious conversation with her. Whenever they tried to make a plan to decide where to go or what to do next, she would sit there and play with her hair, or his hair, or a piece of grass, and not pay attention or not care and Jasper would end up doing all the work. He guessed sometimes that's why they were dependant on each other. Alice would never get anything done if he weren't around to get it done for her.

Jasper jumped over some sort of large ditch and landed on the other side. He kept running, and thinking, and running….he felt quite numb. His legs weren't tired, his mind was fine, but he was so engrossed in his thoughts that he wouldn't have even noticed Alice trying to get his attention if she hadn't shouted in his ear, "JAZZY STOP!"

Jasper skidded to a stop right before the he ran into a sign. Alice quickly jumped off his back and came to his side, taking his hand tightly in hers. "We're here," she said in a pleasant voice. Jasper's mind floated back to the present and he looked up at the sign before them. There, under the dirt, dust, scratches, graffiti, and smudges of paint, were the words he'd been so eager to see for the last two and a half days:

SOUTH DAKOTA

Great faces. Great places.


	6. Chapter 6

It was torture. They had been put here to suffer. Certainly Alice had not seen how hard it would be to simply walk down the street here. The temperatures were intense, but that didn't bother him. In was the sweat. The sweat that opened the pores of the humans and caused their scent to spill out into the streets and linger there in the extreme heat. They had just fed only hours ago, it was true, but the smell was so delicious so…tempting.

Alice took his hand and squeezed it. Jasper straightened his sunglasses on his face and they continued walking in the shade of the buildings. Rarely did they even walk in the daytime when people were in clear view – or rather _they_ were in clear view of the people. But Alice had seen them, the other rogue vampires, near here when the sun was high in the sky. And the sun could not get any higher than it was right now.

They walked past another store, keeping their heads down and avoiding contact with any humans. It would most likely result in disaster if they did. Alice glanced around nervously, looking for the other vampire. "This area definitely looks right," she muttered to herself, tugging Jasper along behind her. He trusted her judgment. He would follow her anywhere by this point. "I think they should be in that building over there." She pointed between the stores to an old-fashioned looking building about a block away. Jasper sighed with relief. "And you said they could tell us where Carlisle is?" he asked with hope in his blood red eyes – though Alice couldn't see because of the dark tint of the sunglasses. "I…I think so," she said, nodding to herself. "Yes, let's go."

She began walking again, pulling Jasper along and turning a corner with him past a drug store. Jasper's arm brushed a lady's standing outside and he stopped immediately, causing Alice to nearly fall over. His eyes grew wide and hungry. Her pulse… he could hear it now. He could hear the lady's heart; feel the blood pumping through her veins. The door to the shop opened sending a gust of dry wind in his direction. It smelled delectable. Alice was excited too, he could feel it. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, marveling in the scent. He began to crouch over, a growl erupting from his chest. Before he could do much though, he was tackled onto the sidewalk and dragged along by the leg until he felt soft grass below him.

"Alice, what are you doing?" he cried standing up quickly. "Why did you knock me over?" Alice was about to answer, when a voice came from behind him. "Well how-dy," said the voice in an obviously fake southern drawl. Jasper turned to growl at whoever it was, when Alice grabbed his hand again. Before them stood three vampires, all male. The front man, the one who had talked, was obviously the leader; Jasper could see that. They were all about the same height, six foot or so, and they all had short brown hair, though one of them had tiny curls in his. Their features were different though. The one in the front wore a mocking expression, his blood red eyes alight with joy and amusement. The one to his left looked scared and uncomfortable to be there – his eyes were quite obviously darker – and the one to his right looked downright mean. Jasper growled at them and the front man smirked. "Peace, brother and sister," – Jasper covered Alice protectively with his body – "We mean you no harm," he said. "We just were curious as to what you two were doing here?"

Now that they were closer up, Jasper could see the old building they had been looking at, whose backyard they were now stationed in, was abandoned. The windows and doors were boarded up and he could see the dust from yards away. Of course; it was a perfect place for a couple of vampires to hang out for a couple of days. Jasper looked back to the three nomads again. He moved forward cautiously, leaving Alice behind. He raised his head, standing over six feet tall, and glared down at the front man. All three of them shrunk in fear a bit. What with his scars and revenge-seeking demeanor, Jasper looked like a death trap to them. "I'm Jasper Whitlock," he said. "This is Alice Brandon, my mate." He motioned lightly to Alice behind him. The front man was the first to recover from his state of shock. He moved forward and shook Jasper's hand. Maxwell's my name," he said in a friendly voice. "These are Lucas and Daniel." The smaller one, Daniel, flinched slightly when his name was mentioned. "We're traveling downward from Canada…just stopping here for feeding." His red eyes glowed with pride as he spoke. Jasper frowned at him. "Do you know a man by the name of Carlisle?" he asked in a rough voice.

Maxwell blinked at him. "Carlisle?" He turned to Lucas and Lucas nodded and shrugged. "Carlisle Cullen you mean? Of course, he is a good friend of mine." Relief flooded Jasper, though he didn't show it. He continued to emit fear into the air. "Can you tell us where he is?" he asked, furrowing his brow and highlighting a particularly nasty scar about his left eye. Maxwell tilted his head to the side. "Why do you need to know?" he asked with a small smile. Jasper glanced at Alice and she nodded her head enthusiastically. "We were looking to join his coven," Jasper stated simply. Maxwell frowned, but then a smile lit his face again and he laughed. "Really, were you now, Partner?" He clapped Jasper on the shoulder. "You do know them Cullen boys don't drink real blood don't ya?" Jasper scowled at the fake accent Maxwell was using. "Yes, we're quite well aware of that, thank you," he said forcefully.

Maxwell stepped back, a surprised look on his face. "Well alright then," he said with nod, as if he were making sense of the decision. "His coven was in Tennessee last I heard," he said pleasantly. He considered the two for a moment, Alice and Jasper, together, them he turned away from them. His companions followed. "If I were you, I would wait until you got out of this area to feed," he called over his shoulder. Jasper tensed. "We already have," Maxwell continued. "If there are too many killings, the humans will get suspicious, and the Volturi might get involved." Jasper froze at the mention of the Volturi. Unpleasant memories of the powerful Italian vampires flooded his brain. "Farewell and good luck to you both," Maxwell said before running south with his cohorts.

"Tennessee…hmm…"Alice began to think allowed to herself. "I never saw anything about Tennessee, but it's worth a try. It's the best lead we've got." She crossed the space between her and Jasper and pecked him lightly on the cheeks before jumping onto his back again. "C'mon Jazzy," she said with a giggle. "We're goin' to Tennesee."


	7. Chapter 7

For the next several months, Jasper and Alice traveled all over the United States to find the Cullen family. Now that they knew Carlisle's last name, they found it much easier to find information about them. Especially for Alice. The name 'Cullen' brought with it other members of the coven and also eliminated any doubt that the family wasn't in Tennessee. Carlisle's mate, Esme, who loved her family, and her gardening, almost as much as Carlisle himself. They learned of Edward Cullen – the mind reader who loved classical music and remained alone and strict most of the time. Then there was Emmett Cullen – the newest member of the coven. The strong, boneheaded jock and weightlifter with a love for power and who would do anything for a good laugh. Later, they found out about Rosalie, the beautiful mate of Emmett with high standards of living and a held her good looks at top priority. By the time they were half way through Illinois, Jasper felt as though he'd known the Cullen's his whole life.

It was, no doubt, convenient that Alice had her visions to help them locate the family, but it was bad that they had no map. Vampires have a great sense of direction, but when traveling over large areas of land, with repetitive environments (such as the United States) it can get very confusing. And that is how they landed themselves in,

""Ohio?" This couldn't be right. They had been going in the direction of Tennessee for months now. How did they get off track? Japer looked around, making sure the sign was correct. It didn't help though; he'd never been to Ohio and therefore had no idea of what it looked like. "Alice, why are we here?" Alice stood next to him, nearly coming to his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her out of habit and she hugged him tightly around the waist. "I don't know," she said, sadness filling her voice. Quickly, Jasper emitted feelings of happiness and relaxation. The powers took effect on her immediately considering they were so close. "Don't worry, Alice," he said softly. "We'll get there soon enough." Alice nodded into his chest. "We shouldn't waste any more time though, c'mon." He lifted Alice onto his back and took off running south.

For a while, Jasper had been worried that, when they got to Tennessee, they would still not be able to find the Cullen family. They would certainly be in hiding – it wasn't normal for vampires to mingle with humans. However, from Alice's visions, they could see that the Cullen's _did_ mingle. In fact, they led their lives, for the most part, exactly like humans. At first, Jasper didn't know what to think of this. How could they do that? How could they have such control over themselves that they could be around humans 24/7? It was insane. He'd never be able to do it. He really hoped Carlisle had some tricks up his sleeve or else he would have to sneak out of the house to feed once in a while.

"Do you have any idea what city or town they're in, Al?" he asked his mate late one night as they traveled through a forest in eastern Kentucky. Alice scrunched up her face in concentration. "No…I can't see," she said with a frown. "Sorry," she added with a grumble. "It's alright, Sweetie," Jasper said soothingly in return. "We'll find them."

They continued to run, stopping for feedings occasionally and to work out a plan, but usually, they kept running. They got lost a few times, ending up in Georgia by accident and having to backtrack, but eventually, they arrived in Tennessee. And they couldn't be any happier. "We're finally here!" Alice practically shouted, leaping from his back and dancing around him. "Finally," Jasper muttered under his breath. "So now we have to find them?" _That'll be more of a challenge than I'm up to at the moment, _Jasper thought with a sour face. Alice opened her mouth to answer him, but froze and stared at what was behind Jasper, scrutinizing them from across the street. Jasper turned, expecting to see a group of vampires about to pick a fight or something, but all he saw was a tiny little human man, balding, in his sixties, staring at them. "Can I help you?" Jasper snapped, glaring at the man. His eyes were nearly pitch black, so couldn't be those he was staring at. What was he so entranced by?

"Oh my, there are more of them," the man breathed from across the street. "More of who?" Alice called gently. The man froze again before calling, with a nervous stutter, "Er…are…are you r-related to the Cullens?" Jasper could feel the pure fear coming from the man and he cracked a smile. Behind him, he could feel Alice nearly explode with happiness. Why would he even ask that? Oh yes, vampires look all the same to humans – beautiful and perfect. He had forgotten. "Yes we are!" Alice squeaked with a smile. "Do you know where we might find them?" The man pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and patted his forehead. "Carlisle and his children live there, in Belmont mansion." He pointed up to a mansion on the end of the street perched proudly upon a large hill. "Thank you." Jasper nodded in his direction and the man scurried off. Were the Cullen's really so bad that everyone in the town was afraid of them? Surely, they caused no public epidemic. The Volturi would certainly put a stop to it.

"Shall we?" Jasper asked with a tiny smile as he held his hand out to Alice. She took his hand and gave it a tiny squeeze. Together, they made their way up the hill to the mansion, anxious to meet their new family at last.


	8. Chapter 8

Jasper stared nervously at the front porch, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. Alice looked up to him. "It'll be alright," she said quietly, squeezing his hand again. "They won't be _too _scared of you." With that, she let go of his hand and danced up the stairs and knocked on the front door. Jasper moved quickly to her side, ready to protect her if anything should happen. There were a few moments of gut wrenching silence then…

The door opened and a fairly tall boy, with pale, white skin and strange bronze hair stood in the doorway, a stern look on his face. Jasper immediately noticed his eyes. They weren't black, nor were the red. They were topaz. How strange. This boy was clearly a vampire, but what was wrong with his eyes?

The boy stared at them for a moment, his eyes lingering on Jasper's exposed neck. Fear automatically hit the boy's features and his eyes widened as his eyebrows shot up. Jasper offered a nervous smile in an attempt to relax the boy. It would be useless to try and comfort him with his powers considering how nervous he was himself. The boy glanced at his eyes again and a look of relief flashed across his face. Jasper felt the climate relax. Why had he relaxed so suddenly? How could he know they meant no harm? Jasper hadn't even said a word yet. "Hello, Edward," Alice said brightly as if they were good friends already. The boy was taken aback for a moment as Alice pushed herself into the foyer.

Now it was Jasper's eyes that grew wide. "Excuse me," he muttered as he rushed through the doorway to catch up with Alice. He shot her a look to say 'we can't just barge into their house!', but she didn't seem to notice. Either that or she was ignoring him. The boy, Edward, was studying them with more curiosity than surprise now. He kept his distance, remaining by the front door, and after a few minutes he called gently, "Carlisle, could you come here please?"

From the other room Jasper could hear footsteps. A slightly taller man, with wavy blonde hair, a lean build, and a dashing smile entered the room. "What can I do for you, my friends?" he asked. Suddenly, Jasper was aware of the presence of three more people. A woman, Esme he assumed, followed Carlisle out and took his hand, intertwining their fingers and looking and Alice and Jasper with caution. Beside them, on the staircase, wre two other – Rosalie and Emmett. Rosalie was feeling curious and resentful towards them and Emmett was just plain confused. Jasper tensed further. He didn't like being near too many people he didn't know. But at the same time, he felt as if he did know all of them.

Alice stepped forward to speak to Carlisle. "My name is Alice," she squeaked happily. "This is Jasper." Jasper glanced at Edward and caught his gaze for a moment. _I hope they will take us in, it would make Alice so happy,_ he thought. _I hope they see we mean no harm. _Edward smiled and nodded at him as though he could read his thoughts. Jaspers looked away uncomfortably. "We've traveled nearly two years to find you, Carlisle. I had a vision about your coven – your family – and we were wondering if we could move in with you." Jasper was relieved that Alice was being polite and that she wasn't being too pushy or rude about the whole situation. "And if you don't mind, I'd like Edward's current room. It's got the best view." Jasper nearly tackled her to the ground.

He moved forward quickly and put his arm around Alice, pulling her back a few inches. "I'm sorry," he said, trying his best to disguise his accent. "She…well…I suppose she feels a bit _too _comfortable around you because of her visions." Carlisle's smile only grew wider and, much to Jasper's surprise, a smile erupted on Esme's face as well. "Well, you are welcome to stay here," he said with a laugh. "As for the room, you'll have to take that up with Edward. I'm Carlisle, this is Esme," – Esme nodded to them- "over there is Emmett, and Rosalie, and behind you is Edward. Er…what are these visions you are speaking about?" He cocked an eyebrow, but it was astonishing how the smile remained on his lips.

Alice was once again the first to speak. "I can see visions of events that happen in the future based on the decisions people make. I've been watching your family ever since I saw Jasper and I coming here. It's an extra power, like Edward's mind reading." Mind reading?! So he had been reading his mind! Jasper turned to glanced quickly at Edward who was smirking defiantly at him. "Brilliant," Carlisle breathed. "That's amazing! Truly a wonderful gift. Well, as I said, you are welcome to stay here with us for as long as you want. I can see you've already started to adapt to our diet?" he asked, both eyebrows raised. Alice nodded. Jasper wondered again how they could tell the difference, then it occurred to him. He looked over to Emmett, the newborn, and saw that his eyes were bright red like Jasper's. Your eyes depicted the sort of blood you drank. Oddly, it made sense. That's also how they blended with humans so well – to them, they were just extremely beautiful, not frightening looking.

"Carlisle, Esme, I was wondering if I could talk with you for a few moment?" Alice asked, suddenly full of concern. Carlisle nodded and showed her into the backyard. And Jasper was left alone with the other three. He remained perfectly still, monitoring the emotions of everyone in the room. They were all purely curious. Not spiteful or angry…not even Rosalie. Edward was the first to speak. "Nice to meet you, Jasper," he said moving closer and taking Jasper's hand with a stern shake. "Nice to meet you too," he said with a grin. This Edward kid seemed alright. "Thanks," Edward said in response to his thoughts. Jasper remained grinning. "Hi, I'm Emmett," a deep voice said from right behind him. Jasper turned on the spot to face him and tensed immediately. Oh yes, he was definitely a newborn. His power was immense, he was hyper and thirsty….he wondered how they were able to control Emmett. "Carlisle is very powerful," Edward said, answering his question. Jasper nodded to him. "Nice to meet you Emmett." Emmett was even taller than Jasper, with muscles six times his size, and when they shook hands, Jasper thought he was going to lose his whole arm. Emmett merely grinned at him.

In a flash, Rosalie was at their side. "Rosalie," she said with a tiny smile playing at her lips. She looked his up and down, no doubt deciding weather he was worthy of her presence or not. She lifted her hand to shake his, but Jasper caught it and kissed the top of it, bowing slightly. "Wonderful to meet you, Ma'am," he said quietly. Emmett growled. "Quiet, Emmett," Rosalie instructed. "He's only being a gentleman." Jasper smirked, releasing his hand. She was quite beautiful, even for a vampire.

"Where are you traveling from?" Edward asked. "We met in Philadelphia," he responded, recalling their life on the road as it had first started. "We look all over the Central and Eastern U.S. for you." Emmett cocked his head to the side. "Why do you _talk_ like that?" he asked. Jasper frowned. "I'm from Texas," he said sternly. Rosalie rubbed Emmett's shoulder lightly. "Don't mock him, dear," she told him indifferently. "It's not polite." Jasper smirked at her again and she winked at him. Emmett growled once again. "Are you thirsty?" Edward asked, studying Jasper's eyes. He thought about how disgusting deer blood tasted and his face twisted in discontent. "No, thank you." Edward laughed. "Around here, he hunt grizzly bears," he said with a chuckle. "They're a bit more substantial." Jasper nodded to him once and began looking around the foyer. The house was pretty big.

"Esme takes great joy in renovating old mansions," Edward informed him. Jasper nodded again and continued to look, admiring the framework and the antique structure of the building. After a while, Rosalie and Emmett got bored and went back upstairs. "How long do you think you'll be staying with us?" Edward asked as he led Jasper into the living room. "As long as Alice wants I suppose. I'm with her wherever she goes." Edward nodded humbly. "She's your mate. You two seem happy together. Are you married?" The thought from the past year flooded back into Jaspers brain; Alice not wanting to marry him and not being interested in commitment. "Oh, I'm sorry. I won't pry on that subject," Edward muttered, looking away. Jasper shook his head. "It's quite alright," he said.

Edward looked back up and laughed at him. "What?" Jasper demanded, feeling insulted that he wasn't in on the joke. "Emmett is _never_ going to stop picking on that accent," he said with a bright smile. Jasper frowned, but couldn't help returning the smile as well.


	9. Chapter 9

The next few weeks presented Jasper with a fantastic opportunity to become extremely familiar with the living room. He spent nearly fourteen days straight on the couch, staring at the television in the corner. The reason for this was not only because he had nothing better to do in a house full on unfamiliar people, but also because he was extremely interested in world events. Nearly two years on the road really left you with no knowledge of what was going on in the country. As expected, nothing completely scandalous had occurred since 1948 – not that he could find out about it from the local news anyway. Edward, who, along with Carlisle, was being a terrific host. He'd offered to explain to Jasper anything he was curious about, share his vast collection of records, and even offered to take him hunting if need be. That particular morning, as Jasper sat planted on the sofa, eyes glued to the tele, Edward decided, as he often did, to join Jasper in his strenuous activities. Jasper happily moved over to allow room. "You wanna come out shopping with us today?" Edward asked softly, still looking at the tele. Sometimes, he wondered why Edward even bothered to ask. Even without the mind reading powers he should know, if only by the response he received for every other offer all week, that the answer would be,

"No, thank you." Jasper turned and smiled at Edward. Edward frowned in return. "Alice would really love it if you came," he said, his topaz eyes narrowed nicely complimenting the serious tone of his voice. It was amazing how quickly they had accepted Alice into their family. It was almost as if she had been there all along. Jasper sighed at the thought. She wanted so much for him to be part of the family, but he just couldn't relax there. Not with Emmett around anyway. As much as he liked the kid, he was still a newborn. And Jasper had far too much experience with newborns to trust them even if they were his 'family'. "Carlisle can take care of him," Edward said in response to his thoughts. "He took care of all of us."

"I know," Jasper muttered, his gaze wandering to the floor. He had head Carlisle's story and was still amazed by it. The man surely had power far beyond Jasper's ability. It astounded him. Edward turned on the couch so his back was against the arm and he was facing the other vampire. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when Alice entered and he closed it abruptly. Apparently, whatever it was could wait until she was out of the room.

Alice marched right in and shut off the television. "Hello, darling," Jasper said to her in a sweet voice. Uh oh. She was upset, he could feel it. He didn't need his powers though – her look said it all. "You need to listen to what Carlisle has to say!" she demanded in her toughest voice. He had to smile; she was adorable. She walked across the room and sat on Jasper's lap, worming her way into his arms and cuddling up to his chest. Carlisle and Esme were next to enter the room followed closely by Rosalie and Emmett, hand and hand, and sat on the couch between Edward and himself. Jasper tensed automatically, becoming a perfect statue, but Alice seemingly didn't notice. No doubt she knew what he was nervous about. "I wanted to speak to you all about something," Carlisle started, standing before them. "I think everyone here should try to be more social." Three pairs of crimson eyes blinked up at him and Jasper could feel fear and confusion coming from both Alice and Emmett. He wasn't being serious. There was no way Alice and himself could be exposed to humans for an extended period of time let alone a newborn. "People at my work are beginning to talk about us. I know this happens wherever we go, but it's much too early to leave now." He stopped, looking at them expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Edward was the first to speak, clearly asking Jasper's questions for him to save some embarrassment. "How are Alice, Jasper, and Emmett going to manage?" he asked. Carlisle smiled down at him. "Not to worry, Edward, we have contacts remember?" Jasper wasn't sure what Carlisle was talking about and Edward, though he clearly understood, was not satisfied. "They won't stifle their thirst," he said darkly. Carlisle smiled again. "I think they're doing admirably, especially Emmett." He focused his gaze on the young vampire who grinned defiantly in return. "And Jasper has been on our diet long enough; I'm sure he will do fine. We know Alice will – she's gone shopping in town nearly every day this week." He paused again, seemingly waiting for an answer from the rest of the family.

"Alright, we'll try," Jasper muttered resting his head on Alice's shoulder. He could feel surprise radiating from everyone in the room. Apparently, they hadn't been expecting him to give in so easily. The only one who seemed to be expecting it was Carlisle. "Splendid!" he said, clapping his hands together. "Then tomorrow we'll all go out to town to see a movie, how's that sound?" A careless mumble of agreement filled the room and Emmett and Rosalie were on their feet and out the door in seconds. Alice turned in Jasper's embrace to face him, placing a hand on either of his shoulders. "It'll be fine, Jazz," she said, sliding her hands up and rubbing the back of his neck lightly. She pressed her forehead up to his and whispered, "You won't do anything. You will be strong." She kissed his lips deeply and Jasper growled quietly. They were interrupted by someone clearing his throat. Jasper and Alice both turned to see Edward still sitting on the couch beside them. Esme and Carlisle had left.

"I forgot you two were mates for a second," he said with a hint of humor. "I think I'll leave you alone." He stood up and was up the stairs to the second floor in seconds. Jasper turned his head to get a better view of where Edward went, but Alice took his chin gently in her hand and directed his lips back to hers. In a flash she was straddling him. Jasper ran his hands up and down her back as she leaned him tightly against the back of the couch. "Jasper," she whispered between the kisses. "Yes?" he managed to whisper back, though it sounded like only a breath. "Jasper, we need to get out of here," she said between more kisses. He nearly stopped. Didn't they spend so much time trying to get here? Why would they leave? Hadn't she just said that he could be strong and survive their trip to the movies? Instead, he held onto her tighter and grinded his hips into her roughly. With a gasp she took all her might and pushed him away with such force she fell backwards onto the floor.

Jasper had scooped her up and into a standing position immediately. "Are you alright?" he asked out of habit. It was a natural, perfectly _human_ thing to ask when someone fell. She looked up to him with beautiful cherry eyes. "Yes. I'm fine." Jasper checked her over, making sure she was certainly fine, before asking, "Why do we need to leave? We were doing alright here. You know Carlisle would be so sad if you left…"

"I didn't mean leave the family, silly!" she laughed sweetly. Jasper tried not to show surprise when she threw the word 'family' around so casually. "I just meant we…er…can't do anything on their couch. Not out where everyone can see us." Jasper grinned. "And hear us," he added slyly. He swept her into his arms and walked, human speed, to the back door. Behind the house there was a nice sized backyard covered in beautiful grass and barely any vegetation besides that. "This is different than the woods we're used to, isn't it?" he asked with another grin. Alice, whose arms were clipped tightly behind his neck, giggled and gave him a tiny peck on the cheek. "If you think you can behave I suppose we can go back into the house," Jasper muttered, nuzzling his face up to hers. She giggled again, nodding in agreement, and Jasper ran back into the house and straight up to their room where the door was shut tightly behind them.

--

"Do we have to go?" Rosalie whined from the foyer. Jasper shook his head. She certainly whined about a lot of stuff. "It'll be good for us, Rose," Emmett persisted, trying to make his wife see eye to eye with him. "This'll make me stronger around humans! And the movie might be good, who knows?" Rosalie sighed and strutted out the front door. Emmett followed her like a puppy to the car.

"You ready, Jazz?" Alice asked as she approached, automatically fixing the collar of his shirt. "Yes, Ma'am," he said placing his hand on her hips, drawing her closer to lean against his chest. She smiled and pecked him on the lips, running her hands through the back of his hair then quickly grabbing his hat off his head and prancing off to the front door with it. Jasper smiled and shook his head, making his way to the front door himself. In the front, everyone else was all ready to go. They were standing at the bottom of the driveway waiting to leave. It was about three blocks into town, and it was a relatively nice day out, except for the lack of sunshine, so driving was out of the question. As Jasper joined the group, Edward plucked the hat off of Alice's head and returned it to its rightful owner. "A cowboy hat," muttered Edward. "How very fitting." Jasper smirked and brushed back his shaggy blonde hair before placing the hat back on his head.

They made their way down the Avenue, stopping at a few stores on the way. Jasper hated how the contacts (he had discovered they'd meant _eye_ contacts) fogged up his vision. At every store, Alice had something she wanted to show him from previous trips. He had to go right up to something to see the details of it. It was terrible – like someone was holding a sheet in front of him. Alice was so happy he was there though. Every time she realized she wasn't holding his hand, or snuggling his arm, or clipping to his waist, she would cling to him as quickly as possible. And she seemed completely at ease around the humans – unlike Jasper.

He was suffering - and immensely so. His throat burned with the yearning to taste just one of the oh-so-appetizing humans. He hadn't tasted decent blood in nearly a month and it was torture. Every time the wind blew his whole being would ache with want and passion so much that he had to bite his own hand a few times to get himself to calm down. None of this seemed to be bothering anyone else, however. They just acted as if it were any other normal day. The only ones who were really worried were Edward – who could surely be hearing all these gore-filled fantasies he was having - and Alice – who was probably just worried because he was acting so strange…unless she saw something in a vision.

Finally, around five o'clock, they arrived at the movie theatre. They were seeing some movie called "The Magnet" that had just come out. Jasper wasn't so interested in the film, he just wanted to get through it without killing anyone. They bought their tickets and were seated immediately. In a few minutes, the lights went out, the movie started, and everything was quiet except for the film. Jasper kept his face down, gripping the arm rests tightly and holding his breath. The sooner this was over the better. He knew it was a bad idea for him to go out of the house. He wasn't ready yet.

Jasper accidentally took a breath when Alice muttered something to him. What she said he didn't hear, however, for he was too preoccupied with the beautiful scent that filled his nostrils when he inhaled. He spotted a young girl sitting in the seats in front of him. He pictured himself leaning up and pressing his lips to the spot on her neck where her blood pumped the fullest. He could nearly feel himself piercing her paper-thin skin and her blood seeping through into his mouth, dripping down his throat and satisfying that damned burning…

Suddenly, someone kicked his leg. He looked over to see Edward's golden eyes glaring at him through the darkness. "Get out," he mouthed to Jasper and he stood up right away. "I'll be right back," he whispered to Alice to hush her protests. As soon as he was out, he knew where he needed to go. He ran, as quickly as _humanly_ possible, up the street towards the house. He needed to hunt. He needed to drink. _Now. _He was nearly to the house when a glorious smell hit his nose. He turned to a tiny side street to see a young woman taking out the garbage behind her house. She was looking at something, but, because of his contacts, he couldn't see what. He could smell it though. She had cut herself. Her hand was…bleeding. His body stiffened and he twitched slightly. _Don't do it,_ he told himself. _Alice will be so upset. The Cullen's will be put through so much trouble. They will hate you. They won't trust you…_

It was very rare that Jasper got to act out one of his fantasies. Today was one of those elusive occurrences. He moved forward slowly, his hands clipped together behind his back. "Excuse me, Miss?" he called, his southern accent clear in his voice. The woman turned to stare at him and her eyes grew wide in wonder. She was surprised – shocked at his beauty no doubt. "I was wondering…are you alright?" The woman was stunned for a moment, but quickly found her voice. "Uh…yes…I…I just cut myself on the fence here. I'm fine, thank you." Jasper looked at her thoughtfully. The venom in his mouth was beginning to pool, but it was doing nothing to ease his thirst. His throat burned worse than ever now. "Are you bleeding?" he asked in a fascinated voice. The lady nodded, frozen in wonder and dear. Jasper was but a foot away from her now. "Perhaps I can ease your pain," he said in a voice like a serpent.

He pounced on her and ran with her. Her desperate cry was lost in the wind as they went. He found a ratted building and he threw her behind It against a moss-covered brick wall. He heard her back crack clearly, even from the thirty-something feet away. He grinned and pounced on her. He ignored the screams, ignored the guilt, as he lowered his mouth to her neck and nearly ripped her skin away with his teeth. Her flesh was broken and in a split second his mouth was filled with the warm, sweet, sticky substance. He growled deeply and drank as if he'd never fed before.

When the woman was completely dry, he dropped her, stood up, and looked down at her lifeless, ruined body and sighed. He was a monster. He shook his head. There was no reason he deserved to live. How could he do that to such an innocent person? She couldn't be past her twenties, maybe even younger. She probably had a family at home worried sick about her and look what he did. When they found her, they would be completely devastated. Jasper felt the air get caught in his throat and he made a small choking noise. He began backing up, step by step. No matter what he did, though, he couldn't look away from the woman's body. He sat on the ground, leaning up against the wall, hugging his knees to his chest and resting his head upon them. He stared at the lady, a dark heap of skin and bones lying in a crumpled mess on the ground and he choked again. There were so many things wrong here. He finally pulled his eyes away from the woman and leaned, face down, into his knees. He stayed like that in silence for a long while until he heard someone call his name.

"Jasper?"

He looked up to see Alice and the first thing she did was gasp and take a step back. Edward was with her, standing behind her. A deep frown formed on his face, but he didn't move an inch. What were they staring at? He could feel Alice's surprise and fear. She was…afraid of him? But…how could she be…

Jasper's eyes fell on a puddle in front of him. He gazed at his reflection. Oh, that was it. His eyes. Ever since they had moved in with the Cullen's they'd been more of a pinkish colour. But his were definitely red. Blood red. He looked up to Alice and Edward with a shameful look and Edward winced slightly. He must've been a pathetic sight to see. "Jasper," Alice whispered, his face still slightly shocked. "What…what did you do?" Jasper tilted his head to the side. "I'm sorry, Alice. I couldn't…" He didn't finish. It was too embarrassing.

After a few seconds of thought, Jasper asked quietly, "You didn't see it?" Alice shook her head. "Not until you decided to attack her," she said slowly. "We came right after you immediately after I saw it…" Jasper stood slowly, yet stealthily, and faced the other two. "Where is everyone else?" he asked in a tired voice. "Looking for you," Edward said softly.

--

"Jasper, please don't be too hard on yourself," Carlisle said for the hundredth time. Jasper shook his head. "I'm sorry, Carlisle," he said. "I've ruined your family." Carlisle shook his head in a desperate attempt to prove Jasper wrong. "No! That's not true. These things happen." He offered a smile. Jasper didn't return it. "I told you, Emmett did the same thing a few months ago." Jasper refused to even look at the doctor now, so Carlisle stood from the table.

Rosalie finally looked up from the tele in the next room. "What are we going to do now?" she asked in a bored tone. Carlisle sighed. "I suppose we'll have to move somewhere else." Jasper's head snapped up and Carlisle added quickly, "Like we always do." This didn't reassure him at all, but he appreciated Carlisle's optimistic-like attitude. "Do you want me and Jasper to leave?" Alice asked quietly from her chair next to Jasper at the dining room table. Carlisle turned quickly to look at her with an alarmed expression. "Certainly not!" he said. "You two are part of our family now. We'd never abandon you for something as…trivial as this." This statement took Jasper by surprise. He had never realized, before this point, that he was really considered part of the Cullen clan. He offered Carlisle a tiny smile and Carlisle beamed back in return.

"So it's settled then," he said happily. "We'll move in the morning. Where we're going I don't know though." His brows furrowed deeply in though. "Washington," Alice said simply, as if it was so obvious. "Do you see us going to Washington, Alice?" Carlisle asked thoughtfully, an amused smile playing at his lips. "Yes, yes I do," she said with a bounce. "Forks, Washington matter o' fact."


	10. Chapter 10

Oh my gosh, so I totally stopped this chapter half way through. So sorry, but I was totally ready to go onto the next one. Hopefully chapter 11 (which I have a bit more of a plot for) will make up for it! -

Fool

- - - - -

The trip seemed almost too familiar… Strange. He'd never been to Washington before. It must've just been the feeling of being on the road again that had him wound so tight.

And the fact that the entire clan was moving because of him.

Because he was too weak.

_Weak._

That word had been echoing in Jasper's mind for the last week. They traveled by foot, which was to be expected. Rosalie was reluctant to give up her car, but Emmett promised he'd make it up to her. By the way he was feeling, Jasper was nearly positive he didn't want to know how he was going to make it up.

As always, Alice rode contently on his back, burying her face in his neck and the hood of his jacket. Jasper would stop occasionally to make sure she didn't need anything. She was always perfectly fine. That didn't stop him from worrying. "Alice," he would say. "Anything you want, you tell me, alright? I don't want this to end up like last time when we were so unhappy." She would always smile and say, "All I need is you." If his heart was functional, it would have pumped right out of his shining, marled chest.

"Alice," he muttered as they ran several hundred feet behind Edward who was the next in line ahead of them. Alice nodded in response. "Why Forks?" He had refrained from asking thus far. "Think about it, Jazz," she said softly in a bored voice. "Why Washington?" Jasper considered the position and immediately discarded its location because of it's proximity to the water. It would be easy for the enemy to attack from the East, only taking them a day to directly attack or surround the entire state. But Jasper knew Alice wasn't speaking from a military point of view, so he thought again. Forks was, no doubt, a boring, small town, so… "It's a good place because of the lack of activity," he said. Alice nodded. "What else?" she asked, as if she were teaching Jasper to solve a very simple puzzle. Washington…it rained a lot in Seattle. Was Forks near Seattle? Why would rain be useful? People didn't like rain so they wouldn't…get near them? Or…or…rain meant…

Jasper looked at the sky. The sun wasn't out today. It was covered by… "It's cloudy there so we can go out during the day, right?" Jasper knew from living with the Cullen's for the last few weeks that avoiding the sun was something you wanted to do while living near humans. They didn't take kindly to the sparkling. Alice giggled. "Yes, and what else?" He had never been to Forks, but he had an idea. The burning in his throat told him Carlisle would probably decide to move them somewhere where they could get a fairly decent meal. "Are there lots of woods there?" Alice nodded again. "Good for hunting," she said, leaning her cheek against his back again. "Thank God for that," he said quietly. Alice chuckled again. "May I help you?" he asked with one eyebrow raised. "Your accent is so cute, Jazzy," she said in a squeak. Jasper laughed shortly.

After a few weeks of running – it was much easier having a specific location rather than getting lost all the time – they finally arrived to the tiny, pathetic town of Forks. For those of you who don't know, the population in 1950 was six hundred and seventeen people – fairly small. When they arrived, however, Carlisle made sure that they were not seen at all. They entered the town through the woods. "You all had better stay here," he told the gang. "Edward and I will survey the area and make sure it's alright." They took off immediately, leaving the rest to wait helplessly. Jasper hated being helpless. He remained completely silent as they waited, not letting go of Alice or moving an inch. About ten minutes later, they were back with news. "The town seems alright," Carlisle told them. "It's very small…the people here seem generous. And I might have found a place for us to live."

It was a dump. Jasper didn't even know how the building was still standing. The mansion was three stories tall, with boarded up windows and nests of spiders to boot. He was disgusted with it, and Alice didn't seem too pleased, but the Cullen family seemed right at home. All five of them filed into the large foyer in the front and immediately they seemed completely comfortable. Even Rosalie, who Jasper was sure would go on and on about how horrible the house was, didn't even say a word. She sat right down on the disgusting sofa and began cuddling and talking with Emmett. Edward began to wander upstairs to check the place out and Carlisle walked out the back door to see how close the house was from town. The only person that remained in the room with them now was Esme, who was, curiously enough, measuring a wall.

Alice danced over to Esme to hold the measuring tape for her. "Esme, what are you doing?" she asked curiously. "I'm measuring this wall to see if a piano will fit, sweetie," she said in a dreamy voice. "A piano? For what?" Alice squeaked, reeling the tape measure back in and crossing the room to be with Esme. "Edward loves to play the piano," she said examining the framework of a very fragile looking door. "Oh yes," Alice said smiling. "I forgot about Edward's love for music." She moved to stand directly next to Esme now, becoming fascinated with what she was observing. "Are you considering fixing up the house, Esme?" Jasper asked quietly. She turned to him. "Yes, in fact, I am. That is one of my favourite hobbies. Whenever Carlisle and I move somewhere, I fix up a house for us to live in." She smiled lovingly at him. Jasper couldn't help but return with a small grin. "I've built Emmett and Rosalie several houses already." She snickered lightly. "Several?" Alice piped in again, now examining the framework also, trying to find out what was so interesting about it. "Why would you need more than one house?"

Emmett laughed from the other room. It was a deep, rumbling noise that nearly shook the old mansion to the core. "We accidently knocked 'em down, Alice," he said with a grin. Rosalie smiled slyly and kissed his neck. Ew gross. Alice's eyes grew wide. "Oh…wow." Emmett grinned at her again. "Jasper, we never knocked down a house before," she whispered to him. Emmett looked at Jasper expectantly. "No," Jasper said confidently. "That's because we've never lived in a house, sweetie. We've knocked down forests though." Alice smiled and nodded thoughtfully. That wiped the smug look off Emmett's face.

--

In a short month, Esme had fixed up the house to look brand new, Carlisle had acquired a job at the hospital in town under a different name, and they'd all resumed they're family roles. Carlisle had adopted Esme, Edward, and Rosalie. Emmett was his nephew and Alice and Jasper were the cousins. One big happy family. The townspeople didn't even know about the kids though, and Jasper found it foolish to assume the positions. As far as the people of Forks, Washington were aware, Carlisle and his foster daughter, Emily (Esme), lived alone in the mansion in the woods. And because Carlisle was such a good doctor, he became popular very quickly. So no one bothered him about his family history.

"And why did you two change your names?" Rosalie asked one night when they were all lounging in the living room. Alice, who had been sitting on the floor in front of the couch, turned to face Rosalie behind her. "I told you, I saw us leaving here, then coming back a few years later," Alice said simply. Rose stared at her, obviously unsatisfied with her answer. "Then why would we even bother coming here in the first place?" Alice blinked. "I'm not sure," she said with a blank expression. "I just saw us coming here. But if we use our real names now, before we leave, then when we come back, people will notice we haven't changed." Alice nodded. Emmett chuckled. "You're wacko," he said sliding onto the floor and giving Alice a tight hug around the shoulders. Jasper tensed, staring at Emmett intently. _Calm down._ He told himself. _It's only Emmett, he's not going to do anything to hurt Alice. _He continued to frown as he watched them. "Ow, Em, you're strong," Alice said. Jasper was about to tackle Emmett away from her, when Alice wriggled free from his grip and jumped up onto the couch and planted herself in Jasper's lap. "I still don't see the point," Rosalie muttered as Alice clipped her tiny arms around Jasper's neck and giving him a peck on the cheek.


	11. Chapter 11

Racing was one of the most pointless activities he'd ever seen. Jasper just couldn't understand why Alice wasted her time running through the woods al the time. But if it made her happy, then he would let her do it. Anything to make his Alice happy.

Emmett was a pretty good challenge for her. As a new born, his legs were very powerful and he ran very fast. However, Alice's height and build was an advantage for her. She moved quickly and had great navigation – she could dodge a bullet while running straight for it. To pass the time, the two often raced through the woods, to the highway, and back. They did this several times a week and Jasper always sat in the backyard and watched. He watched as Alice gracefully leaped over tree trunks and frightened animals to reach her goal and come racing back, always just behind Emmett. Never once did she win. She practiced and practiced, working out faster methods and ways to distract the newborn if need be, but she could never seem to win.

Sometimes, Edward would sit and watch with him to keep him company. Edward said Alice could win if she continued to challenge Emmet considering he would eventually get weaker and slower. Jasper knew this was true, but he still didn't understand the purpose of racing. Edward told him that it wasn't the running, it was the competition. They were very big on competition in the Cullen family.

So Jasper sat, again, on the small stone bench behind the Cullen residence, alone, watching Alice and Emmett speed through the forest. For a while, about a minute or so after they took off, he got bored and began to examine a nearby rock. It had a distinct shape to it. This captured his attention for about thirty seconds before he heard the shout of a familiar voice from the edge of the forest. "Yes!" Alice shouted and she burst through the trees seemingly alone. Jasper couldn't help but smiling at the look of pure joy on her face. "I beat you, Em!" she shouted back into the woods. All was silent for a moment before…

_Boom!_ Something ran right into Alice, knocking her off her feet and onto the ground. Jasper was on his feet in a fraction of a second. It was only Emmett. _Calm down, calm down, _he told himself strictly. _It's only Emmett. _Though he tried pitifully to convince himself everything was fine, he couldn't rip his eyes away from the two.

Emmett was on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Alice was giggling – a good sign – and Emmett was growling playfully. Not a real growl…a slightly…human like growl. From his throat. Jasper continued to remain perfectly still. "You musta cheated, Alice," Emmett said teasingly. "There's not way you coulda beaten me." Alice giggled again.

"You're just jealous," she stated crossing her arms over her chest. Emmett grinned.

"I'm not jealous. You're just trying not to be scared of me," he said with a chuckle.

"Scared? You're not scary, why would I be afraid of you?" Alice teased back, shoving against him lightly.

"I'm damn scary when I want to be," Emmett whispered. He bared his teeth and growled menacingly at Alice. From his chest. The way he did when he was hunting. _It's. Just. Emmett._ He thought. He clenched his fists tight, keeping his feet firmly on the ground where he stood. He couldn't attack Emmett. That was ridiculous. That was…completely…

Emmett moved a fraction of an inch closer to Alice and he lost it. Jasper pounced on Emmett, grabbing him and ripping him away from Alice, throwing him to the ground, and snarling wildly. Instinctively, Emmett attacked him back. A deadly looking pair of teeth snapped inches away from Jasper's face, but he knew what to do. He backed away quickly, ducking and letting the newborn fly over his head. He turned quickly and they sprung at each other at the same time. Fangs snapped, nails ripped at each other, and constant growls echoed through the air. Faintly, Carlisle's urgent and troubled calls were heard from somewhere in the background and Alice's worried squeaks only heightened Jasper's rage. Emmett went at him again, this time fastening his jaw tightly on Jasper's shoulder. Silently, Jasper grabbed the new born and threw him off, causing him to land nearly thirty feet away.

Jasper remained standing, perfectly straight, his breathing, though unnecessary, was quick. At the sound of Alice's voice, Jasper came back to Earth, and automatically his hand went to his shoulder. He inhaled a sharp breath as his hand touched the rip in his rock hard skin. Pain ran down his arm to his fingers tips and he cursed under his breath at the familiar feeling. In a second Carlisle and Alice were at his side.

"Jasper, what happened?!" they asked in perfect harmony. Jasper sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said, ashamed of his actions. "He was…growling at you…"

"We were just playing around!" Alice cried, her face distraught. It broke his un-beating heart. "You could feel that he wasn't serious right?" Jasper shook his head.

"I could, but…He was so close to you…and he was hurting you…" Alice moved forward and took his hand, tugging him gently in the direction of the house.

"Let's go inside," she said softly. Carlisle nodded, then turned to go see Emmett who was standing with Rosalie on the opposite side of the lawn shooting nasty glances toward Jasper.

She dragged him all the way upstairs, into the lavatory, and sat him on the edge of the bathtub. "Take off your shirt," she said as she moved around the bathroom, collecting different things and placing them on the floor before him. Jasper shrugged off his already torn shirt and threw it to the ground. He didn't make a move, or a sound, as Alice stood before him, between his legs, and carefully patted the wound on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to say, love, but that really won't do anything." Alice pouted down at him.

"Well, if you're going to have _that_ attitude it certainly won't then," she said with a _hmpf! _and continued gently wiping his shoulder.

"Alice…" he said softly, placing his hands gently on her sides and pulling her closer to him, planting a kiss on her stomach and then pressing his forehead against her. She stopped with the cloth for a moment, placing a hand on his head and kissing him gently on his crown.

"We can trust these people, Jasper," she said into his hair.

"Mm," he said in response. He wasn't so sure, though Alice felt completely concerned about this subject. She was serious. Apparently, they seemed to be the only people in the world they could trust right now besides each other.

"Please, Jazz, you have to believe me," she said, her voice strained. "We need to stay here, with the Cullens. Everything will turn out okay if we do. I…I don't know what'll happen if we leave, but for now, we're okay." She stroked his hair slowly. Suddenly, a wave of fresh emotion washed over Jasper and an odd choking noise came from Alice. She was crying.

He sat up and pulled her into his lap. "Stop crying, Alice," he said softly. She leaned against him, crying into his neck. "I want us to have a family," she squeaked, sobbing again.

"We have a family," Jasper said softly, rubbing her back. Her tiny body shook in his arms.

"Then…why did you try to kill Emmett?"

Jasper was silent for a moment. He considered her question before answering, making sure he chose words that would make her understand.

"I didn't try to kill him," he said. "I admit I was a little…aggressive, and I certainly was prepared to…hurt him, should he try to do anything to you. However, I did not attack him with the intention of killing him." Alice sniffled. "I'm sorry if I scared you, but he was getting awful close to you, and he was growling at you-"

"I told you he was just fooling around!" Alice cried, sitting up in his lap and looking at him with wide eyes.

"I understand, but just…seeing you being threatened just…"

Alice took his face in her hands. He expected her to explain how she didn't need to be taken care of and he shouldn't worry about her. He would then go on to explain how he needed to because she was part of him and it was second nature – like automatically defending yourself in a battle. Instead of this conversation, however, Jasper was more than surprised when she kissed him sweetly on the lips and whispered only two words, "Thank you."


	12. Chapter 12

So sorry this chapter took so long.

I wanted to thank everyone who has stayed with me so far.

It means a lot, this being my first fic and all.

I'm going to try to post a chapter a week now.

I'm getting busier because of school and work and just RL in general, so...

Thanks so much again and hope you stay with me!

Fool

* * *

"I have wonderful news!" No one looked up. After the incident between Emmett and Jasper the day before, no one had really talked much. Jasper's mood killed the conversation all too quickly. Alice kept telling him not to worry, it wasn't his fault. He was only acting to protect her. But every time she tried to cheer him up, it just reminded Jasper that everyone else could feel his sour mood too. It made for a very awkward living situation. To add to the discomfort, every time Emmett passed him, Jasper could feel a wave of hatred blasting in his direction. Dirty looks and muttered curses were all he ever got. He golden haired vampire withdrew even further from the Cullen family, much to his mate's dislike.

Carlisle frowned at the lack of interest in his exciting new discovery. "C'mon now…" he said feebly in an attempt to liven everyone up. Jasper looked over and, in a sad attempt to redeem his unforgivable behavior, said, "What is your news Carlisle?" In his peripheral vision, he could see Alice and Edward smiling knowingly at each other. Carlisle beamed. "I've gotten in touch with an old friend of mine. She lives with her clan in Alaska-"Alaska!" Alice cried as she popped out of her seat and flung herself into Carlisle's arms. "This is what I saw, Carlisle!" she squeaked in delight. "Ask them if we can stay with them!" Jasper smiled apologetically for her actions. "Stay with another clan?" Edward questioned, making his way across the room to join the others. "How can we just give up this life here?"

"No need to fret, Edward," the eldest vampire said with a chuckle, ruffling Alice's hair affectionately. "They lead a life like ours. That is to say, the prefer penguins over humans." Edward's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"They don't…hunt humans?"

Jasper's throat burned as soon as the words left the boy's mouth.

"Certainly not," Carlisle answered pleasantly.

"When do we leave?" Alice peeped excitedly.

They were packing already. To some, it might seem strange that they leave on such sudden occasions. Just get up and go. But to someone who's spent their entire life on the road it's just business as usual. Accept now he had something to actually pack.

Alice flitted in and out of the room, retrieving and delivering various articles of clothing to and from Rosalie's room and Edward's room. Of course, if they were going to live in the freezing wilderness, they would have to go in style. Alice made sure of that. She had even dressed Jasper nicely, putting him in a dark, knitted turtle-neck, his nice slacks, and a pair of black leather boots. Jasper knew it was necessary to dress this way when meeting the new clan. His outer appearance wasn't exactly pleasant to the eye. He stood in their bedroom now, observing himself in the mirror – something he often tried to avoid doing. Alice had told him he looked very handsome in that sweater. He had to disagree. Jasper had never found himself attractive at all. He raised his eyebrows, highlighting a particularly nasty scar just above his left eye, and sighed.

"What're you doin', Jazz?" Alice chimed as she entered the room again, carrying a large pile of clothes that look suspiciously like Edward's.

"Nothing," he said quietly as he moved forward and took the clothes from her.

"These are new. I got them for you." Jasper smiled at her and plopped them down into his suitcase without even glancing at them.

Alice tilted her head to the side, a confused frown lingering on her perfect features. "They'll love you, Jazz," she said quietly. "Don't worry. I know they'll love you." She placed a hand on his chest, stood on her tip toes, and kissed him sweetly on the lips. Jasper shivered happily. "Not go take these shirts to Edward's room for me," she chirped, shoving his arms full of clothing. He turned silently and walked out the door.

Alice was a wonder to him. She saved his life every day. If it weren't for her, he'd probably have gone insane by now. His mind drifted away with thoughts of his mate, but he was interrupted when something hit his shoulder with a _bang!_ He winced in pain as it collided with his wound from the fight.

"Watch it, fface."

Jasper looked up to see Emmett glaring down on him. He glared back and pushed past the younger vampire, continuing his original route.

"What?" Emmett was saying behind him. "You got nothin' to say to me?" Jasper stopped and turned to face him once again. "Actually," he said, his southern drawl a bit more pronounced than usual, "I do have a question for you if you're willing to answer it." Emmett blinked. He was confused. "Ok, partner, lay it on me," he said in a southern accent of his own, a stupid looking grin positioning itself on his face. Jasper remained perfectly still, refraining any emotion, still holding thr pile of clothes perfectly in hand. "What would you do if I growled at Rosalie?"

Emmett remained silent for a few seconds before growling, "I'd rip your sorry head off." To his surprise, Jasper smiled. "I didn't rip your head off when you growled at my Alice now, did I?" Emmett didn't respond. He only stared at the blonde haired boy in frustration and wonder. "I simply tried to get you away from her. You were the one who fought back. And even then I made sure to avoid using my teeth." He shrugged his shoulder where the pain from Emmett's venom was still present.

More silence from Emmett. "If I looked so threatening necxt to Rosalie wouldn't you have done the same thing?" Still no answer. "I've tried to apologize before, but I'll do it again: I'm sorry I attacked you. It was a misjudgment. My fear for Alice got in the way of my rightful thinking. I didn't mean to harm you. I am sorry." By the time he had finished, the entire rest of the Cullen clan had all poked their heads out of their rooms to watch. Emmett continued to stand in silence. He didn't know what to say. Behind him, Jasper could hear Edward chuckle as he, no doubt, listened in on Emmett's thoughts.

"I think you two are stupid," Rosalie declared, breaking the silence that Jasper was making sure was getting more and more awkward every second. "Emy, he said he was sorry. He didn't even do anything wrong in the first place. Just say 'okay' and it'll be over with." She turned on her heel and walked back into her room. Not a second had passed and the rest of them followed suit and the two were alone in the hall once again. Jasper felt a wave of defeat hit him and he knew immediately that Emmett could defy him no longer.

"I'm sorry, man," he said quietly. "I guess I just thought it was stupid, you know? I wasn't even doing anything to her." Jasper smiled.

"I understand," he said just as gently. "Like I said before, I have an irrational worry for her. I'll work on it though. I know I can trust everyone here, I'm just not too…used to the idea yet."

"And newborns aren't really your cup of tea either," Emmett added, grinning deviously.

"Precisely."

"We cool then?"

"Of course."

The smiled genuinely at each other for a moment before Emmett added, "You need a cowboy hat to go with those boots?"


	13. Chapter 13

_ver_

_Chapter 1+2: __community./twilightfics/537994.html?#cutid1_

_Chapter 3: __community./twilightfics/536374.html#cutid1_

_Chapter 4: __community./twilightfics/542313.html#cutid1_

_Chapter 5: __community./twilightfics/549153.html#cutid1_

_Chapter 6+7: __community./twilightfics/550675.html_

_Chapter 8: __community./twilightfics/552758.html#cutid1_

_Chapter 9: __community./twilightfics/573925.html_

_I have to get away. Away. To wherever that may be. _Jasper repeated these words in his head over and over. It was the only thing keeping him sane. He had to get _away_. Away from Maria, now away from Peter and Charlotte. Away from that life and into the new one. Everywhere around him he could smell it – that delectable, beautiful smell that taunted him as he walked. He pulled his scarf closer around his face and held his breath. He couldn't feed. Not here in the middle of the city. _Just keep going away._ Oh how he wished he could be more specific. But that one thought was all he had to control himself. He had nowhere to go. But he couldn't wander alone without a destination, so 'away' was the best place he could think of. He had been in Maine with Peter. South was direction he ended up going in. Philadelphia was where he ended up.

He had to stop. He had to rest. He had to feed. He pulled his scarf tighter across his nose as a woman passed, giving him a strange look. It was not a particularly cold day; no doubt he looked out of place in his long, black jacket and winter scarf. At least his eyes weren't their usual glowing crimson. He leaned against the side of the building, deciding, for the first time in weeks, to come up with a plan. He had to feed. He was going crazy. If he didn't drink _something_ he was going to take a whole bunch of people in the street right here and that certainly wasn't good. Another woman walked by. By accident, Jasper took a breath, inhaling the sweet scent of her blood. He growled in his chest, baring his teeth behind his scarf, but turned silent when she turned to look at him. He stared back at her and she moved away quickly, frightened by his ravage demeanor. There had to be a person around her somewhere that didn't matter – someone who no one would notice was gone. His black eyes landed on a diner across the street. It was extremely small, rundown, and dingy. One older man stood behind the counter and a small, black-haired girl sat on a stool in front of him. His breathing increased quickly as a plan circulated in his mind, the scent of blood circulating through his mind making his plan seem more and more appealing.

He could take the old man, and maybe the girl. He'd have to talk to her first, see where she was from and see if she had a family or a lover. Perhaps he would spare her and just take the man. He licked his top lip tenderly as he imagined how good it would feel to sooth the immense burning sensation in his throat. Putting on a straight face, he stepped out into the street and was standing in front of the diner within a second. He pushed the door open lightly, and began to walk up to the counter but stopped short when the girl turned and he saw her face clearly.

The first thing he noticed was her eyes. They were black to the core – not normal pigment for a human. The second thing he noticed, after he looked over her face, was that she was gorgeous. She was the most beautiful being he had ever seen. She had the same sense of dignity and grace as Charlotte and Maria had, but she seemed…warmer, friendlier in a sense. His eyes went wide and he took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the girl and the man. He smelled delicious, but she had a much more unique smell, a natural perfume – cinnamon, hyacinth, and pear. She was definitely not human. He felt his body tense when she rose from her stool and approached him without hesitation. Jasper certainly was not used to being approached as casually as this. When she spoke, Jasper nearly took a step back in surprise. "I've been waiting a very long time for you," the girl said.

Jasper stared at her in wonder for a moment before slowly tilting his head downward in a slight bow. "I'm sorry, Ma'am," he said gently. She held her hand out and he considered it for a moment. Was this it? Was this what he'd been in search for? What was this even? Could he trust this girl? She didn't look very frightening. And he could hold his own. His pitch black eyes glinted in slight confusion as he glanced to her face again. There was trust there…he could feel it. She already knew him – though he didn't know how. He narrowed his eyes slightly and placed his hand carefully in hers, taking a good hold on it. Immediately he felt comfort and he knew he'd made the right choice. A tiny smile played on his lips for the first time in years.

Without a word, the girl squeezed his hand gently and led him out the door of the diner. Jasper forgot all about the old man. In fact, he couldn't even feel the burning in his throat. For the first time, in a very, very long while, Jasper felt hope.

- - - -

Jasper watched her. She was so graceful and beautiful when she ran. Her hair was blown off her face exposing the perfect features of her lips, jaw, and neck. He kept up with her easily, she wasn't trying to race, and he was thankful. Hopefully she would take him somewhere where he could feed. Maybe it was a place where he could live happily, with some sort of mission in his life. He couldn't bear to live anymore with nothing to do.

After about ten minutes of admiring the girl, his curiosity finally got the better of him. "My name's-" "Jasper," she finished for him. "Jasper Whitlock." Jasper nodded curtly, his eyebrows brought together in a pure look of confusion. "Yes. How do you know that?" he asked. "My name's Alice," she said, completely ignoring his question. "Nice to meet you, Alice," he said with a smile. He hated being ignored, but something about this girl made him certain she was going to tell him everything he needed to know. "Where are we going?" he added warily. She probably wouldn't tell him. He didn't really mind it either. Surprise wasn't one of his favourite things, but at least he had a destination and a mission – to follow Alice.

Suddenly, Alice stopped and he flew right past her. He skidded to a stop about a hundred feet away and ran back to her in a hurry. Was something wrong? "Jasper," she said as he approached. "You know how you can control emotions?" Jasper's eyes went wide. "How do you know that-" "Let me finish," she said calmly. "I also have an ability that comes in quite useful. I can see the future depending on people's decisions. As soon as you decided to leave Peter and Charlotte, I saw you meeting me and I went to wait for you." Jasper stared at her in disbelief. "That's…that's not possible…" She couldn't have seen him coming. He didn't even know he was going here. And how did she know Peter and Charlotte? "I…I don't believe you…I _can't_…" He shook his head lightly from side to side. She sighed. "You asked where we were going?" she said in a soft voice. "I had a vision about a family…a coven living east of here…they have a different way of life and I know they'll take us In if we go to them." Jasper shook his head again. "What…what do you mean a different way of life?" A smile played at the edge of Alice's lips. "I know you're not happy with being out of control of your thirst…" Jasper's eyes went wide yet again. "They are…well…they call themselves _vegetarian_ vampires." She chuckled to herself. The sound was like beautiful bells to Jasper's ears. "Vegetarian? I don't…understand." Alice giggled at him. "They don't drink human blood," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They hunt _animals_…much more civilized." _Animals._ Why hadn't he ever thought of that? That was a great idea! "But does that really work?" he asked with a slight confused frown. "Don't they…thirst for humans?" Alice frowned now with him. "I don't know. I've never met them. But we'll be sure to ask when we get there!" She bounced slightly and took off running again. Jasper caught up to her in a second.

"Where is 'there' exactly?" he asked. "I don't know," Alice said with a frown. Jasper wondered if this had ever occurred to her before. Surely, it had to have already posed a problem. "I keep seeing…lots of…woods…They live in a forest somewhere. But don't worry, I saw us going this way." She smiled as if it made everything that much simpler. And for a moment, Jasper almost believed it did.

Just seeing that smile on her face lasted him a few more hours. His attention span, having been stretched and warped from years of military training, held for a long time. They ran in silence and Jasper cared not as the sun began to sink behind them. It would be dark out soon, the perfect time to hunt. _Hunt._ That word echoed in his mind. The bomb dropped on his relatively good mood and he could feel depression start to sink in again. He had to kill more. He could run as far as he wanted, but he'd never escape that. Murder. The only thing that really hurt him. The thing that continuously chased him; chased his happiness away. A growl slipped from deep in his chest. He could feel Alice's peppy mood turn to worry as she looked up at him. "You're thirsty?" she asked in a small voice. He nodded. "So am I." Again, she stopped running and he sped past her.

"Maybe we should give Carlisle's way of life a try tonight," she was muttering as he approached. She was looking around warily, as if something were to attack…or as if she were about to attack something else. "Who is Carlisle?" Jasper asked, looking around for what she was being so careful of. A few deer moved in the woods a few hundred meters away. They were the only notable creatures around for miles; he couldn't find anything else…or anyone else. "Carlisle is the head of the coven I was telling you about." Jasper nodded, but a frown quickly formed on his face when he realized what she meant. Her eyes froze on the deer and the crouched down into a hunting position. Out of habit, Jasper crouched too, ready to spring if anything came at them. "You're suggesting we drink the _deer_ instead?" Alice nodded, but didn't say anything. She leaned forward slightly, and then she was gone; off into the woods to tackle Bambi and suck the life out of him. He sighed, relaxing from his position slightly and looking around. He wasn't going to seriously make a meal out of a _deer_ was he? That was a disgrace.

Suddenly, there was a movement behind him. His ears pricked and he spun in his place and was crouched low on the ground almost instantly. There in front of him, snarling and fuming, was an enormous mountain lion. He was nearly the size of Jasper himself, and certainly a lot angrier. Jasper growled back in spite of himself. The great cat crouched into a defensive position. Jasper could smell its blood. It smelled nothing like humans' …it was like water compared to tomato juice. It didn't smell very appealing at all. He shook his head and the lion back up a little. Of course it would be scared. Animals were terrific at sensing danger. And Jasper had 'danger' written all over him.

Eventually, the animal relaxed. Jasper hadn't moved in close to five minutes, curious to see the creature's reaction. The lion began to sniff around the ground for food. Jasper crouched low, touching his hands to the ground. He ducked his head down, a growl erupting from deep in his chest. The lion turned its head to look directly at him. This was a battle of speed, he knew it, not power. The lion had no chance again him. He moved his arm forward, causing his body to shift downward. His pitch black eyes remained on the animal until it returned to sniffing its patch of grass. Jasper straightened out his legs slightly and then, without warning, he pounced on the creature. He knew he had won immediately after feeling its fur in his fingers. He rolled it over, slamming the flailing, roaring figure to a nearby tree, digging his nails into its skin. As soon as he smelled the blood he grinned, leaned in, and cracked the spine at the neck with his teeth, causing the animal to go limp. Blood trickled down from the wound and Jasper pressed his lips to it hesitantly.

It tasted disgusting; completely horrible, bitter, and muddy. But it soothed the burning in his throat, and for that he was thankful. He sucked the animal dry within a minute and by the time he was standing again, Alice was right beside him. She had a sour look on her face, like she had just drunk a pint of pure lemon juice. "That was…interesting," she muttered with wide eyes. Jasper nodded in agreement. Her eyes, now that they weren't pitch-black, were even more beautiful than he imagined. An alarming shade of crimson that seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. He smiled absentmindedly at the sight. Alice's eyebrows shot up. "What are you smiling at?" she asked, clearly confused at his random outbursts of happiness he'd displayed that day. "You," Jasper said quietly. "You are very pretty." Alice continued to frown deeper and deeper until her eyes grew wide and she was looking past Jasper.

He turned his head quickly, but there was nothing there, only a dead lion on the ground and a bunch of trees. "Alice, are you alright?" he asked, looking back to her. She was still frozen in that spot, her blanks eyes seeing nothing in the woods in front of her. He began to panic slightly, realizing he'd be lost without her. He'd have no cause, no mission, no destination…really, no reason to live. He held her shoulders tightly. "Alice, what the hell are you doing?" He said a bit louder. "Please come back…"

And then, as suddenly as it had started, it ended, and Alice was back to Earth. "Why are you shaking me?" she asked, but made no attempt to remove his gentle grasp. "What was that?" Alice smiled, as normal as ever. Jasper was bewildered. Was she crazy? Was she trying to torture him? She leaned forward so her lips were nearly pressed to his ear. He shivered. "I was having a vision, Jasper," she whispered with another giggle. "What did you see?" he whispered back. Alice pulled away and removed his hands carefully from her shoulders. "You," she said pleasantly. "And me. Traveling together. To Carlisle's."

"Oh," Jasper looked to the ground. He was a tad bit disappointed. He wasn't sure why though. Perhaps he had expected more? He was glad she was alright, she'd given him quite a scare, but he'd hoped her vision had been... What? He couldn't figure it out. "Shall we move on?" she asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. Jasper nodded. "Yes," he replied, still deep in his thoughts. "Yes, let's move on."

They continued running east. He followed Alice's every step, making sure not to lose her. She didn't stop for a long time. They ran in silence, Alice having visions of different locations occasionally, causing her to suddenly change direction. Jasper was partially thankful for the lack of conversation. It gave him time to think.

He was almost certain of his feelings now. It all felt so familiar, yet stronger than it had before. In his past he'd traveled with Maria, and developed romantic feelings for her. He assumed that's what was going on now, but he wasn't sure. It was certainly absurd that he develop these feelings after only knowing her for a few days. But, after considering every possibility, romance was the closest thing he could find. He'd never felt anything as strong as this before, however. He felt a certain bonding between the two of them; a certain trust that he never had with Maria nor anyone else. He felt it was his duty to protect Alice and to keep her happy so much so he would risk his life for her. He considered many times over the week of mentioning the emotions to Alice, to see if she returned the same feelings, but he decided it would be better to keep to himself. He was being irrational. He needed more time to figure this out. And he had all the time in the world.

--

Jasper had completely forgotten what direction they were headed. Alice had changed her mind so many times that he didn't even bother to keep track anymore. She assured him they wouldn't get lost, not that he cared much if they did, but he trusted her, and therefore asked no questions. Before long, they had a bit of a tradition. Every four to five days they would stop and feed, usually on any large animal they found in the woods, occasionally landing in a big city and actually taking a human or two, much to Jasper's delight. He had traveled around for most of his life, but had never really paid much attention to his surroundings and was surprised when he actually recognized the area for once.

"We're in Conroe," Jasper said suddenly one day as they walked, human pace, through a small town in ninety-degree heat.

"Where?" Alice asked, kicked a rock along the dirt road stretched out in front of them.

"Conroe, Texas," he replied with a frown. He had fought many wars here. It still smelled of death and ashes. Certainly not pleasant. "Texas?" Alice squeaked in a disapproving tone.

"No…this isn't right. We should be…north. Northeast, I think…" She worked out the visions to herself, trying to make sense of what she had seen. "We were definitely in cooler weather…and in a forest…" Jasper thought idly how there couldn't possibly be anymore forests for them to go through, when a familiar scent filled his nose.

His body automatically froze and he became alert. His ears pricked at the smallest sound. The scent…it accompanied danger. It brought with it the most terrible memories and experiences… But that was impossible. How could she be here? He left, never to see her again. He heard the shuffling of feet behind them and his hand grasped Alice's arm tightly, pulling her from her thoughts to concern her with the current situation.

"Jasper?" Her voice was suddenly full of worry and she rubbed his forearm lightly with her free hand. "What's wrong?" Jasper didn't respond. He didn't breath. He thought, just maybe, it was a figment of his imagination. Perhaps the scent came from the surroundings. But it was too strong. "Jasper Whitlock," a cold voice sounded from behind them. Alice turned to look at her and gasped, but Jasper stayed the direction he was facing. He closed his eyes; he didn't want to see her. "Well, aren't you going to say hello? And introduce me to your friend?" the voice spoke again in a heavy southern accent. At the mention of Alice, Jasper turned on the spot, pulling her behind him and curving his body over hers protectively. And he saw her.

Five foot and eleven inches tall, with pale skin, reddish-brown hair down to her back, and blood-red eyes. Jasper had not seen Maria since he had run away from her and the newborn armies years ago. With her, she had a older-looking newborn. He was a few inches taller than her with dark olive skin, crimson eyes, and shaggy black hair. Jasper could tell he wasn't as newly turned as Maria usually kept her troops. He was probably Jasper's replacement. Maria smirked at Jasper and he growled back at her, moving so he was covering Alice more.

"I'm sorry, Jasper," she said in a sugary-sweet voice that sent shivers down his spine. "I didn't know she was your mate." Jasper's eyes flew open wide and he nearly let down his guard.

"She's not my mate," he growled. He thought he heard Alice giggle from behind him, but he ignored it. Maria smirked at him.

"I assume you didn't come back to visit me then, Sweetie?" she asked him in an innocent voice. Jasper growled again. Her newborn worker snarled back menacingly and Jasper turned on him, baring his teeth. The newborn backed off immediately. Maria laughed a hard laugh. "You always were a frightening one, Jazzy," she said. Jasper took deep breaths waiting for her to do something. She didn't. She just stood there, staring at him innocently.

"You left, I assume, thinking you'd never see me again, is that right?" she snapped suddenly after a few moments of silence. Jasper nodded once and resumed his defensive position. Maria nodded back to him, her eyes suddenly cold. "Go then," she said. It wasn't an offer, it was an order. He tensed, recalling how she used to order him around. His grip tightened on Alice's arm.

"Get on my back," he muttered only low enough for her to hear him. In a flash, Alice was on his back and they were running, nearly flying, out of the town and across the plains to the northeast.

"Jasper, who was that?" Alice asked, her arms held tightly around his neck. Jasper didn't respond, but continued to run for a long time. He assumed Alice could see that he was going to tell her everything soon enough. Within four hours they were in Arkansas in a forest at the very southern border. It was dark when Jasper finally stopped and placed Alice swiftly on the ground beside him. "Who was that?" she asked again with large, innocent eyes. Jasper looked away from her.

"Let me tell you something," he said holding perfectly still and staring intently at the ground. "When I was first turned…that woman back there, Maria was her name, she used me to control armies of newborns to-"

"No…" Alice whispered, cutting him off. He looked up to her face which was frozen in a shocked expression. "You were involved with that?" she asked with huge, round eyes. He nodded shamefully. "But the Volturi had to intervene…that was really serious for a while-"

"The precise reason I left," he said gravely. "I was tired of the murder and the pain." He shook his head. "But I'm done with that now."

They stood in silence for a few minutes. He could feel the fear quickly slipping away from her and he was relieved. She giggled quietly and Jasper turned to look at her. She had one hand placed over her mouth, holding back her chuckles. "What are you laughing at?" he demanded, finding it strange he found it cute and not offensive.

"I was just thinking…when Maria said she didn't know I was your mate…and you said I wasn't…you weren't being serious, were you?" Jasper blinked at her.

"W-What?" Alice giggled again. She danced forward and took Jasper's hands into hers, swinging them back and forth lightly. "You know we're mates, right?" Jasper looked at her as if she were insane.

"What are you talking about?" he asked cautiously.

"Everyone has a mate. If it weren't for my visions, then we probably wouldn't have found each other. But we did, and now we're going to be together forever."

Jasper started at her some more. If this was true…then that would explain why he felt so strongly about her. It would also explain that initial feeling of trust and bonding that he found so impossible. She was his soul mate? They were destined for each other? How come he hadn't seen it before? "Alice…" She placed a finger over his mouth.

"Shh…" She silenced him.

She stood on her tip toes, placed a hand on either of his shoulders, and pulled his face down to hers, planting a kiss on his lips. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. Carefully, he placed his hands on the small of her back and lifted her closer to his, deepening the kiss ever so slightly. It was amazing how well they seemed to go together. It was like they were made for each other. He opened his mouth against hers and she moaned lightly. Reluctantly, Jasper pulled away to look into her face. Her eyes were wide as she peered up at him through her long eyelashes. She was scared – afraid she'd done something wrong. Jasper laughed, sincerely, for the first time in nearly sixty years. "I'm sorry, Alice," he said softly. "But that sound you made…it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard." She smiled and he bent down to kiss her gently once again.

--

Over the course of the next few months, Jasper starting finding things much clearer between Alice and himself. It was as if the knowledge of their relationship, of their fate to be together forever, allowed them to be connected in ways he never thought possible. He could feel her being – not just her feelings, but her thoughts. He knew what she was going to do, and why, at all times. The same happened with her. She seemed to know, without her visions, what Jasper was planning and feeling before he acted. Their love became stronger too. Every time Alice kissed him his insides would burn with passion. They ran hand in hand now, never letting the other out of their sight. And they finally had a destination – California. Alice had seen it in a vision, a high school in California that they passed on their way. They were now at the center point of Oklahoma and well on their way.

During the day, they would stay in the forest not to attract attention to their more prominent features. At night they would prey on livestock and small animals they found as they went. Occasionally, they would stop running, every couple of days or so, to sit around and talk, trying to work out a plan or just get to know each other better. One night, about seven months into their journey, they decided to stop deep within the forests of northern Utah. Jasper had been thinking, briefly, that he knew nothing about Alice's past so he decided to ask as they sat, on his jacket, in the roots of a large oak tree sheltered from the rain.

"My human life?" she questioned with a most concerned expression, shifting under Jasper's arm to snuggle up to his shoulder. "I…I don't know anything about my human life. I thought when you were turned you forget everything." Jasper frowned. That wasn't right. He remembered everything. The memories were unclear, like there was a thin barrier between that world and this new one, but he still remembered.

"That's strange," he muttered under his breath. Alice turned in his embrace to wrap her arms around his neck.

"What about you?" she asked with a placid tone. Apparently, not remembering her past life didn't bother her much. Jasper smiled warmly.

"I was fond of my life," he said serenely as thunder boomed around them. "When I was seventeen I enrolled in the Confederate army and worked up to major within two years." He smiled at the thought. His father had always told him he had a way with people.

"What about your family?" Alice asked with reverence, as if the topic was a gentle one.

"I lived with my parents, Cal and Patricia Whitlock," he recalled, trying to recall his mother's face. He couldn't. "I loved them, but they wanted me to go to school and become a lawyer…I didn't want to, so I ran away." Alice smoothed down his hair lovingly, twisting the blonde curls around her fingers.

"Did you ever tell your parents you wanted to be in the military?" she asked. Jasper sighed.

"No," he said sadly. "I was to return home a few months later to tell them where I'd been and how much I'd accomplished, but when I got there, I found them dead – along with half the town." Alice's face fell.

"What happened?!" she asked, outraged that someone could do something so horrible. Jasper chuckled lightly at her reaction.

"The war happened, Alice. The north had invaded our towns and killed all our people." He sighed. "I regretted never telling my parents about my decision, I think. But it all worked out in the end." He smiled at her to let her know she'd made everything worth while. She smiled back with gratitude.

"Do you remember being turned?" she asked with the same respect as the other question. Jasper nodded grimly.

"I had been ordered to take a boat load of women and children to safety after evacuation. I was on my way back to my troops when Maria and two others stopped me." He shivered, not wanting to speak the details out loud. "She turned me that night." He frowned at the ground and Alice knew he wasn't in the mood to talk about it anymore.

She continued to stroke his hair as she moved closer to him, trailing her lips along his jaw line and pressing a kiss to his neck. Jasper inhaled sharply as his insides burst into flames again. Alice giggled and kissed him again, lightly nipping his ear with her teeth. Jasper could feel her intentions immediately. Her body emitted the strongest emotions he'd ever felt from one person. He willed her to feel relaxed and calm. Her kisses came slower now, trailing along his jaw and chin until she reached his mouth. She opened her mouth slowly to deepen the kiss and Jasper felt an odd burning sensation in his chest he'd never felt before. It was a lot like the thirst he felt for blood, but completely different at the same time.

Jasper kept a tight hold on Alice and flipped them both over so he was lying on top of her, kissing her passionately. He felt her hand tangled in his hair; her other hand ran up his back under his shirt. Her fingers were gossamer against his scarred, pale skin – it felt wonderful. Carefully, he placed his hands on her thighs and pulled them up to be on either side of his hips. She moaned ever so quietly and a low growl erupted from deep in his chest where the fire was. He'd never get tired of that sound. It was heavenly music to his ears.

--

Jasper stared at the thick canopy of leaves above them. Sunlight leaked through causing Alice's bare back to sparkle like a diamond. Rainbows bounced off the nearby rocks. It was a beautiful site. He absentmindedly ran his fingers up and down her spine over her flawless skin. Her tiny body was stretched out over his, her feet only coming to about half way down his legs. He smiled as he thought of the height difference. She was so cute. Alice shifted, kissing his chest a few times and speaking in a soft voice that reminded Jasper of wind chimes, "I love you, Jasper." The fire burned inside of him again and he buried his face in her hair to keep it down. Her arms tightened ever so slightly around his neck.

"I love you too," he said, pulling his arms around her and holding her tight to him. She kissed his neck and chin before burying her face in his chest again.

"Do you think we'll get to Carlisle's ever?" she asked in a tiny voice. Jasper rubbed her back as gently as he could.

"I'm certain of it," he said reassuringly. Alice sighed.

"Good…perhaps they can help us with this new diet. I'm beginning to have a tough time with it." Jasper went tense.

"So am I," he whispered.

Alice took her arms from around Jasper's neck and placed them flat on his chest to push herself up. Reluctantly, Jasper released his grip on her. She sat on his stomach, straddling him. A shiver went down his spine as he peered up at her. She was completely perfect, gorgeous, and angelic. His breath held in his throat for a moment as he ran his fingers over her perfect body. Alice giggled and stopped his hands on her stomach, holding them securely in her own. "Jasper," she said softly. "I had a vision." Jasper waited patiently for her to continue. "We weren't going to California," she said with a tiny pout. "We were in South Dakota, talking to a small group of nomadic vampires like us." Jasper tilted his head to the side curiously.

"Was it Carlisle?" he asked, removing his hands from hers and softly holding her by the sides. He knew it would certainly make her better if her visions had proved useful.

"No," she said with a deeper frown. "These vampires were rogue, I could tell." Jasper wondered what the physical difference was when another wave of emotion hit him.

She was upset – defeated. Jasper willed her to feel confident and relaxed. "I think they might be able to tell us where Carlisle is though," she said with a bit more enthusiasm. He couldn't help but smile brightly at her.

"Where are we going next then?" Alice considered him for a moment He guessed, by her sudden feeling of worry, that she knew he couldn't keep up this _vegetarian_ diet much longer.

She leaned down to lock their lips in a passionate kiss. Jasper moaned deeply as memories of the previous night flooded his mind. She moved away slightly, breaking the kiss, but staying close to his face. "South Dakota," she whispered against his lips. He closed his eyes and sighed ever so quietly. South Dakota was a long way away. They had a big trip ahead of him. Jasper's throat burned with thirst as he thought about it. He was going to need to feed . And not a substitute meal of rabbit and deer. A human.

--

Jasper crouched low in the alley, restraining a growl in his chest. The man was only a few feet away, fumbling in the darkness with his keys to let himself into the apartment. He looked stressed. A pang of sympathy and guilt hit Jasper as he peered at the man over the trash can. But that feeling soon vanished when a gust of wind gave him a nose-full of the man's scent. Jasper smiled deviously. He smelled delicious. His black eyes sparkled with delight as he thought of how satisfying it would be to finally have a decent meal. He pictured himself getting up and walking over to the man who would be frozen with fear. He would feel the man's pulse and then press his lips to his neck…

Jasper pounced on the man, tackling him to the ground. The man tried to shout, but Jasper slammed him against the wall, smashing his head and causing him to pass out. Blood starting rushing from the wound and Jasper could restrain himself no more. He nearly tore the man's neck off as he bit down, gulping down as much blood as possible.

The feeling was beyond explanation. The burning was soothed and Jasper felt as though he could see, hear, and feel clearly for the first time in his life. He felt powerful, like he could do several laps around the world and still be able to put up a good fight. He felt like, if Alice were there, he could rock her from here to the moon. When the man was completely dry, he tossed the dead body aside and smiled greedily to himself. "Jazz…" Alice's voice sounded from behind him. He turned to see her.

Her eyes were a bright, crimson red. Jasper smiled pleasantly. "Hello, my love," he said smoothly, his southern drawl more pronounced than usual. Alice giggled and moved toward him, gently placing her hands on his chest. "Feeling better?" she asked with an innocent pout. "Yes," he said with a smirk. He leaned down to kiss her, but she moved back automatically using her conveniently placed hands to push him away. "Uh uh," she said shaking her head. "No. You use that energy to run me upstate." She pointed her finger to the ground and spun it around as if she were stirring an imaginary drink – Jasper cue to turn around and crouch down. He did. She locked her arms around his neck, wrapping her legs around his middle. "Let's go!" she said bouncing slightly. Jasper laughed and shook his head. She certainly was one curious little creature.

He turned onto the main street, made a right, and off they went. While they ran, Jasper calculated the amount of time it would take them to get to South Dakota like in Alice's vision. If they were in northern Kansas now, and took them ten hours to get here from northwest Oklahoma, then in about fourteen hours they would be inside the borders of good 'ol South Dakota. Joy. Jasper saw the end of the road coming up and he leapt over the river at the end. He landed swiftly on the other side and took off running again immediately, ignoring the looks he could from a lonely farmer stationed near the docks. Alice giggled.

As they ran, they remained nearly silent as they always did. Again, Jasper had time to think, to work out a plan – something he was exceptionally good at. However, he was not organizing plans to get to Carlisle's coven faster, as he usually did, or to find food, or to disguise themselves. He was thinking about his future with Alice. He had been thinking about that a lot lately. If they were going to live together forever, then shouldn't they do it properly? Shouldn't they be married? The thought terrified Jasper. Where he was from, husband and wife meant nothing more than a good place to inherit money and someone to help you make babies. Jasper wanted more than that. And he knew Alice well enough now to know if they had a wedding that she'd want a big fancy ring and a huge ceremony and party. That was close to impossible so….

Then there were different religions. The Wiccans had a matrimony ceremony that had something to do with dancing around a fire. That might be nice, though he was quite sure it had more to do with dead or something morbid….they wouldn't die anyway so that was out. How else could they officially tie the knot? There might be some special vampire way of doing things. That would be cool; traditional at least. No matter what they did, there was no way Alice would have it be plain and casual. It would have to be an ordeal. And they would both be the center of attention. Fantastic.

But Alice never seemed like the sort of person that would deal well with commitment. She seemed to be the sort of person that loved to do things spur-of-the-moment. It was almost inconceivable to sit her down and have a serious conversation with her. Whenever they tried to make a plan to decide where to go or what to do next, she would sit there and play with her hair, or his hair, or a piece of grass, and not pay attention or not care and Jasper would end up doing all the work. He guessed sometimes that's why they were dependant on each other. Alice would never get anything done if he weren't around to get it done for her.

Jasper jumped over some sort of large ditch and landed on the other side. He kept running and thinking and running….he felt quite numb. His legs weren't tired, his mind was fine, but he was so engrossed in his thoughts that he wouldn't have even noticed Alice trying to get his attention if she hadn't shouted in his ear, "JAZZY STOP!"

Jasper skidded to a stop right before the he ran into a sign. Alice quickly jumped off his back and came to his side, taking his hand tightly in hers. "We're here," she said in a pleasant voice. Jasper's mind floated back to the present and he looked up at the sign before them. There, under the dirt, dust, scratches, graffiti, and smudges of paint, were the words he'd been so eager to see for the last two and a half days:

SOUTH DAKOTA

Great faces. Great places.

--

It was torture. They had been put here to suffer. Certainly Alice had not seen how hard it would be to simply walk down the street here. The temperatures were intense, but that didn't bother him. In was the sweat. The sweat that opened the pores of the humans and caused their scent to spill out into the streets and linger there in the extreme heat. They had just fed only hours ago, it was true, but the smell was so delicious so…tempting.

Alice took his hand and squeezed it. Jasper straightened his sunglasses on his face and they continued walking in the shade of the buildings. Rarely did they even walk in the daytime when people were in clear view – or rather _they_ were in clear view of the people. But Alice had seen them, the other rogue vampires, near here when the sun was high in the sky. And the sun could not get any higher than it was right now.

They walked past another store, keeping their heads down and avoiding contact with any humans. It would most likely result in disaster if they did. Alice glanced around nervously, looking for the other vampire. "This area definitely looks right," she muttered to herself, tugging Jasper along behind her. He trusted her judgment. He would follow her anywhere by this point. "I think they should be in that building over there." She pointed between the stores to an old-fashioned looking building about a block away. Jasper sighed with relief. "And you said they could tell us where Carlisle is?" he asked with hope in his blood red eyes – though Alice couldn't see because of the dark tint of the sunglasses. "I…I think so," she said, nodding to herself. "Yes, let's go."

She began walking again, pulling Jasper along and turning a corner with him past a drug store. Jasper's arm brushed a lady's standing outside and he stopped immediately, causing Alice to nearly fall over. His eyes grew wide and hungry. Her pulse… he could hear it now. He could hear the lady's heart; feel the blood pumping through her veins. The door to the shop opened sending a gust of dry wind in his direction. It smelled delectable. Alice was excited too, he could feel it. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, marveling in the scent. He began to crouch over, a growl erupting from his chest. Before he could do much though, he was tackled onto the sidewalk and dragged along by the leg until he felt soft grass below him.

"Alice, what are you doing?" he cried standing up quickly. "Why did you knock me over?" Alice was about to answer, when a voice came from behind him. "Well how-dy," said the voice in an obviously fake southern drawl. Jasper turned to growl at whoever it was, when Alice grabbed his hand again. Before them stood three vampires, all male. The front man, the one who had talked, was obviously the leader; Jasper could see that. They were all about the same height, six foot or so, and they all had short brown hair, though one of them had tiny curls in his. Their features were different though. The one in the front wore a mocking expression, his blood red eyes alight with joy and amusement. The one to his left looked scared and uncomfortable to be there – his eyes were quite obviously darker – and the one to his right looked downright mean. Jasper growled at them and the front man smirked. "Peace, brother and sister," – Jasper covered Alice protectively with his body – "We mean you no harm," he said. "We just were curious as to what you two were doing here?"

Now that they were closer up, Jasper could see the old building they had been looking at, whose backyard they were now stationed in, was abandoned. The windows and doors were boarded up and he could see the dust from yards away. Of course; it was a perfect place for a couple of vampires to hang out for a couple of days. Jasper looked back to the three nomads again. He moved forward cautiously, leaving Alice behind. He raised his head, standing over six feet tall, and glared down at the front man. All three of them shrunk in fear a bit. What with his scars and revenge-seeking demeanor, Jasper looked like a death trap to them. "I'm Jasper Whitlock," he said. "This is Alice Brandon, my mate." He motioned lightly to Alice behind him. The front man was the first to recover from his state of shock. He moved forward and shook Jasper's hand. "Maxwell's my name," he said in a friendly voice. "These are Lucas and Daniel." The smaller one, Daniel, flinched slightly when his name was mentioned. "We're traveling downward from Canada…just stopping here for feeding." His red eyes glowed with pride as he spoke. Jasper frowned at him. "Do you know a man by the name of Carlisle?" he asked in a rough voice.

Maxwell blinked at him. "Carlisle?" He turned to Lucas and Lucas nodded and shrugged. "Carlisle Cullen you mean? Of course, he is a good friend of mine." Relief flooded Jasper, though he didn't show it. He continued to emit fear into the air. "Can you tell us where he is?" he asked, furrowing his brow and highlighting a particularly nasty scar about his left eye. Maxwell tilted his head to the side. "Why do you need to know?" he asked with a small smile. Jasper glanced at Alice and she nodded her head enthusiastically. "We were looking to join his coven," Jasper stated simply. Maxwell frowned, but then a smile lit his face again and he laughed. "Really, were you now, Partner?" He clapped Jasper on the shoulder. "You do know them Cullen boys don't drink real blood don't ya?" Jasper scowled at the fake accent Maxwell was using. "Yes, we're quite well aware of that, thank you," he said forcefully.

Maxwell stepped back, a surprised look on his face. "Well alright then," he said with nod, as if he were making sense of the decision. "His coven was in Tennessee last I heard," he said pleasantly. He considered the two for a moment, Alice and Jasper, together, them he turned away from them. His companions followed. "If I were you, I would wait until you got out of this area to feed," he called over his shoulder. Jasper tensed. "We already have," Maxwell continued. "If there are too many killings, the humans will get suspicious, and the Volturi might get involved." Jasper froze at the mention of the Volturi. Unpleasant memories of the powerful Italian vampires flooded his brain. "Farewell and good luck to you both," Maxwell said before running south with his cohorts.

"Tennessee…hmm…"Alice began to think allowed to herself. "I never saw anything about Tennessee, but it's worth a try. It's the best lead we've got." She crossed the space between her and Jasper and pecked him lightly on the cheek before jumping onto his back again. "C'mon Jazzy," she said with a giggle. "We're goin' to Tennesee."

--

For the next several months, Jasper and Alice traveled all over the United States to find the Cullen family. Now that they knew Carlisle's last name, they found it much easier to find information about them. Especially for Alice. The name 'Cullen' brought with it other members of the coven and also eliminated any doubt that the family wasn't in Tennessee. Carlisle's mate, Esme, who loved her family, and her gardening, almost as much as Carlisle himself. They learned of Edward Cullen – the mind reader who loved classical music and remained alone and strict most of the time. Then there was Emmett Cullen – the newest member of the coven. The strong, boneheaded jock and weightlifter with a love for power and who would do anything for a good laugh. Later, they found out about Rosalie, the beautiful mate of Emmett with high standards of living and a held her good looks at top priority. By the time they were half way through Illinois, Jasper felt as though he'd known the Cullen's his whole life.

It was, no doubt, convenient that Alice had her visions to help them locate the family, but it was bad that they had no map. Vampires have a great sense of direction, but when traveling over large areas of land, with repetitive environments (such as the United States) it can get very confusing. And that is how they landed themselves in,

""Ohio?" This couldn't be right. They had been going in the direction of Tennessee for months now. How did they get off track? Japer looked around, making sure the sign was correct. It didn't help though; he'd never been to Ohio and therefore had no idea of what it looked like. "Alice, why are we here?" Alice stood next to him, nearly coming to his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her out of habit and she hugged him tightly around the waist. "I don't know," she said, sadness filling her voice. Quickly, Jasper emitted feelings of happiness and relaxation. The powers took effect on her immediately considering they were so close. "Don't worry, Alice," he said softly. "We'll get there soon enough." Alice nodded into his chest. "We shouldn't waste any more time though, c'mon." He lifted Alice onto his back and took off running south.

For a while, Jasper had been worried that, when they got to Tennessee, they would still not be able to find the Cullen family. They would certainly be in hiding – it wasn't normal for vampires to mingle with humans. However, from Alice's visions, they could see that the Cullen's _did_ mingle. In fact, they led their lives, for the most part, exactly like humans. At first, Jasper didn't know what to think of this. How could they do that? How could they have such control over themselves that they could be around humans 24/7? It was insane. He'd never be able to do it. He really hoped Carlisle had some tricks up his sleeve or else he would have to sneak out of the house to feed once in a while.

"Do you have any idea what city or town they're in, Al?" he asked his mate late one night as they traveled through a forest in eastern Kentucky. Alice scrunched up her face in concentration. "No…I can't see," she said with a frown. "Sorry," she added with a grumble. "It's alright, Sweetie," Jasper said soothingly in return. "We'll find them."

They continued to run, stopping for feedings occasionally and to work out a plan, but usually, they kept running. They got lost a few times, ending up in Georgia by accident and having to backtrack, but eventually, they arrived in Tennessee. And they couldn't be any happier. "We're finally here!" Alice practically shouted, leaping from his back and dancing around him. "Finally," Jasper muttered under his breath. "So now we have to find them?" _That'll be more of a challenge than I'm up to at the moment, _Jasper thought with a sour face. Alice opened her mouth to answer him, but froze and stared at what was behind Jasper, scrutinizing them from across the street. Jasper turned, expecting to see a group of vampires about to pick a fight or something, but all he saw was a tiny little human man, balding, in his sixties, staring at them. "Can I help you?" Jasper snapped, glaring at the man. His eyes were nearly pitch black, so couldn't be those he was staring at. What was he so entranced by?

"Oh my, there are more of them," the man breathed from across the street. "More of who?" Alice called gently. The man froze again before calling, with a nervous stutter, "Er…are…are you r-related to the Cullens?" Jasper could feel the pure fear coming from the man and he cracked a smile. Behind him, he could feel Alice nearly explode with happiness. Why would he even ask that? Oh yes, vampires look all the same to humans – beautiful and perfect. He had forgotten. "Yes we are!" Alice squeaked with a smile. "Do you know where we might find them?" The man pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and patted his forehead. "Carlisle and his children live there, in Belmont mansion." He pointed up to a mansion on the end of the street perched proudly upon a large hill. "Thank you." Jasper nodded in his direction and the man scurried off. Were the Cullen's really so bad that everyone in the town was afraid of them? Surely, they caused no public epidemic. The Volturi would certainly put a stop to it.

"Shall we?" Jasper asked with a tiny smile as he held his hand out to Alice. She took his hand and gave it a tiny squeeze. Together, they made their way up the hill to the mansion, anxious to meet their new family at last.

--

Jasper stared nervously at the front porch, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. Alice looked up to him. "It'll be alright," she said quietly, squeezing his hand again. "They won't be _too _scared of you." With that, she let go of his hand and danced up the stairs and knocked on the front door. Jasper moved quickly to her side, ready to protect her if anything should happen. There were a few moments of gut wrenching silence then…

The door opened and a fairly tall boy, with pale, white skin and strange bronze hair stood in the doorway, a stern look on his face. Jasper immediately noticed his eyes. They weren't black, nor were the red. They were topaz. How strange. This boy was clearly a vampire, but what was wrong with his eyes?

The boy stared at them for a moment, his eyes lingering on Jasper's exposed neck. Fear automatically hit the boy's features and his eyes widened as his eyebrows shot up. Jasper offered a nervous smile in an attempt to relax the boy. It would be useless to try and comfort him with his powers considering how nervous he was himself. The boy glanced at his eyes again and a look of relief flashed across his face. Jasper felt the climate relax. Why had he relaxed so suddenly? How could he know they meant no harm? Jasper hadn't even said a word yet. "Hello, Edward," Alice said brightly as if they were good friends already. The boy was taken aback for a moment as Alice pushed herself into the foyer.

Now it was Jasper's eyes that grew wide. "Excuse me," he muttered as he rushed through the doorway to catch up with Alice. He shot her a look to say 'we can't just barge into their house!', but she didn't seem to notice. Either that or she was ignoring him. The boy, Edward, was studying them with more curiosity than surprise now. He kept his distance, remaining by the front door, and after a few minutes he called gently, "Carlisle, could you come here please?"

From the other room Jasper could hear footsteps. A slightly taller man, with wavy blonde hair, a lean build, and a dashing smile entered the room. "What can I do for you, my friends?" he asked. Suddenly, Jasper was aware of the presence of three more people. A woman, Esme he assumed, followed Carlisle out and took his hand, intertwining their fingers and looking and Alice and Jasper with caution. Beside them, on the staircase, were two others – Rosalie and Emmett. Rosalie was feeling curious and resentful towards them and Emmett was just plain confused. Jasper tensed further. He didn't like being near too many people he didn't know. But at the same time, he felt as if he did know all of them.

Alice stepped forward to speak to Carlisle. "My name is Alice," she squeaked happily. "This is Jasper." Jasper glanced at Edward and caught his gaze for a moment. _I hope they will take us in, it would make Alice so happy,_ he thought. _I hope they see we mean no harm. _Edward smiled and nodded at him as though he could read his thoughts. Jaspers looked away uncomfortably. "We've traveled nearly two years to find you, Carlisle. I had a vision about your coven – your family – and we were wondering if we could move in with you." Jasper was relieved that Alice was being polite and that she wasn't being too pushy or rude about the whole situation. "And if you don't mind, I'd like Edward's current room. It's got the best view." Jasper nearly tackled her to the ground.

He moved forward quickly and put his arm around Alice, pulling her back a few inches. "I'm sorry," he said, trying his best to disguise his accent. "She…well…I suppose she feels a bit _too _comfortable around you because of her visions." Carlisle's smile only grew wider and, much to Jasper's surprise, a smile erupted on Esme's face as well. "Well, you are welcome to stay here," he said with a laugh. "As for the room, you'll have to take that up with Edward. I'm Carlisle, this is Esme," – Esme nodded to them- "over there is Emmett, and Rosalie, and behind you is Edward. Er…what are these visions you are speaking about?" He cocked an eyebrow, but it was astonishing how the smile remained on his lips.

Alice was once again the first to speak. "I can see visions of events that happen in the future based on the decisions people make. I've been watching your family ever since I saw Jasper and I coming here. It's an extra power, like Edward's mind reading." Mind reading?! So he had been reading his mind! Jasper turned to glanced quickly at Edward who was smirking defiantly at him. "Brilliant," Carlisle breathed. "That's amazing! Truly a wonderful gift. Well, as I said, you are welcome to stay here with us for as long as you want. I can see you've already started to adapt to our diet?" he asked, both eyebrows raised. Alice nodded. Jasper wondered again how they could tell the difference, then it occurred to him. He looked over to Emmett, the newborn, and saw that his eyes were bright red like Jasper's. Your eyes depicted the sort of blood you drank. Oddly, it made sense. That's also how they blended with humans so well – to them, they were just extremely beautiful, not frightening looking.

"Carlisle, Esme, I was wondering if I could talk with you for a few moment?" Alice asked, suddenly full of concern. Carlisle nodded and showed her into the backyard. And Jasper was left alone with the other three. He remained perfectly still, monitoring the emotions of everyone in the room. They were all purely curious. Not spiteful or angry…not even Rosalie. Edward was the first to speak. "Nice to meet you, Jasper," he said moving closer and taking Jasper's hand with a stern shake. "Nice to meet you too," he said with a grin. This Edward kid seemed alright. "Thanks," Edward said in response to his thoughts. Jasper remained grinning. "Hi, I'm Emmett," a deep voice said from right behind him. Jasper turned on the spot to face him and tensed immediately. Oh yes, he was definitely a newborn. His power was immense, he was hyper and thirsty….he wondered how they were able to control Emmett. "Carlisle is very powerful," Edward said, answering his question. Jasper nodded to him. "Nice to meet you Emmett." Emmett was even taller than Jasper, with muscles six times his size, and when they shook hands, Jasper thought he was going to lose his whole arm. Emmett merely grinned at him.

In a flash, Rosalie was at their side. "Rosalie," she said with a tiny smile playing at her lips. She looked his up and down, no doubt deciding weather he was worthy of her presence or not. She lifted her hand to shake his, but Jasper caught it and kissed the top of it, bowing slightly. "Wonderful to meet you, Ma'am," he said quietly. Emmett growled. "Quiet, Emmett," Rosalie instructed. "He's only being a gentleman." Jasper smirked, releasing his hand. She was quite beautiful, even for a vampire.

"Where are you traveling from?" Edward asked. "We met in Philadelphia," he responded, recalling their life on the road as it had first started. "We looked all over the Central and Eastern U.S. for you." Emmett cocked his head to the side. "Why do you _talk_ like that?" he asked. Jasper frowned. "I'm from Texas," he said sternly. Rosalie rubbed Emmett's shoulder lightly. "Don't mock him, dear," she told him indifferently. "It's not polite." Jasper smirked at her again and she winked at him. Emmett growled once again. "Are you thirsty?" Edward asked, studying Jasper's eyes. He thought about how disgusting deer blood tasted and his face twisted in discontent. "No, thank you." Edward laughed. "Around here, we hunt grizzly bears," he said with a chuckle. "They're a bit more substantial." Jasper nodded to him once and began looking around the foyer. The house was pretty big.

"Esme takes great joy in renovating old mansions," Edward informed him. Jasper nodded again and continued to look, admiring the framework and the antique structure of the building. After a while, Rosalie and Emmett got bored and went back upstairs. "How long do you think you'll be staying with us?" Edward asked as he led Jasper into the living room. "As long as Alice wants I suppose. I'm with her wherever she goes." Edward nodded humbly. "She's your mate. You two seem happy together. Are you married?" The thought from the past year flooded back into Jaspers brain; Alice not wanting to marry him and not being interested in commitment. "Oh, I'm sorry. I won't pry on that subject," Edward muttered, looking away. Jasper shook his head. "It's quite alright," he said.

Edward looked back up and laughed at him. "What?" Jasper demanded, feeling insulted that he wasn't in on the joke. "Emmett is _never_ going to stop picking on that accent," he said with a bright smile. Jasper frowned, but couldn't help returning the smile as well.

- - - - -

The next few weeks presented Jasper with a fantastic opportunity to become extremely familiar with the living room. He spent nearly fourteen days straight on the couch, staring at the television in the corner. The reason for this was not only because he had nothing better to do in a house full of unfamiliar people, but also because he was extremely interested in world events. Nearly two years on the road really left you with no knowledge of what was going on in the country. As expected, nothing completely scandalous had occurred since 1948 – not that he could find out about it from the local news anyway. Edward, who, along with Carlisle, was being a terrific host. He'd offered to explain to Jasper anything he was curious about, share his vast collection of records, and even offered to take him hunting if need be. That particular morning, as Jasper sat planted on the sofa, eyes glued to the tele, Edward decided, as he often did, to join Jasper in his strenuous activities. Jasper happily moved over to allow room. "You wanna come out shopping with us today?" Edward asked softly, still looking at the tele. Sometimes, he wondered why Edward even bothered to ask. Even without the mind reading powers he should know, if only by the response he received for every other offer all week, that the answer would be,

"No, thank you." Jasper turned and smiled at Edward. Edward frowned in return. "Alice would really love it if you came," he said, his topaz eyes narrowed nicely complimenting the serious tone of his voice. It was amazing how quickly they had accepted Alice into their family. It was almost as if she had been there all along. Jasper sighed at the thought. She wanted so much for him to be part of the family, but he just couldn't relax there. Not with Emmett around anyway. As much as he liked the kid, he was still a newborn. And Jasper had far too much experience with newborns to trust them even if they were his 'family'. "Carlisle can take care of him," Edward said in response to his thoughts. "He took care of all of us."

"I know," Jasper muttered, his gaze wandering to the floor. He had head Carlisle's story and was still amazed by it. The man surely had power far beyond Jasper's ability. It astounded him. Edward turned on the couch so his back was against the arm and he was facing the other vampire. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when Alice entered and he closed it abruptly. Apparently, whatever it was could wait until she was out of the room.

Alice marched right in and shut off the television. "Hello, darling," Jasper said to her in a sweet voice. Uh oh. She was upset, he could feel it. He didn't need his powers though – her look said it all. "You need to listen to what Carlisle has to say!" she demanded in her toughest voice. He had to smile; she was adorable. She walked across the room and sat on Jasper's lap, worming her way into his arms and cuddling up to his chest. Carlisle and Esme were next to enter the room followed closely by Rosalie and Emmett, hand and hand, and sat on the couch between Edward and himself. Jasper tensed automatically, becoming a perfect statue, but Alice seemingly didn't notice. No doubt she knew what he was nervous about. "I wanted to speak to you all about something," Carlisle started, standing before them. "I think everyone here should try to be more social." Three pairs of crimson eyes blinked up at him and Jasper could feel fear and confusion coming from both Alice and Emmett. He wasn't being serious. There was no way Alice and himself could be exposed to humans for an extended period of time let alone a newborn. "People at my work are beginning to talk about us. I know this happens wherever we go, but it's much too early to leave now." He stopped, looking at them expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Edward was the first to speak, clearly asking Jasper's questions for him to save some embarrassment. "How are Alice, Jasper, and Emmett going to manage?" he asked. Carlisle smiled down at him. "Not to worry, Edward, we have contacts remember?" Jasper wasn't sure what Carlisle was talking about and Edward, though he clearly understood, was not satisfied. "They won't stifle their thirst," he said darkly. Carlisle smiled again. "I think they're doing admirably, especially Emmett." He focused his gaze on the young vampire who grinned defiantly in return. "And Jasper has been on our diet long enough; I'm sure he will do fine. We know Alice will – she's gone shopping in town nearly every day this week." He paused again, seemingly waiting for an answer from the rest of the family.

"Alright, we'll try," Jasper muttered resting his head on Alice's shoulder. He could feel surprise radiating from everyone in the room. Apparently, they hadn't been expecting him to give in so easily. The only one who seemed to be expecting it was Carlisle. "Splendid!" he said, clapping his hands together. "Then tomorrow we'll all go out to town to see a movie, how's that sound?" A careless mumble of agreement filled the room and Emmett and Rosalie were on their feet and out the door in seconds. Alice turned in Jasper's embrace to face him, placing a hand on either of his shoulders. "It'll be fine, Jazz," she said, sliding her hands up and rubbing the back of his neck lightly. She pressed her forehead up to his and whispered, "You won't do anything. You will be strong." She kissed his lips deeply and Jasper growled quietly. They were interrupted by someone clearing his throat. Jasper and Alice both turned to see Edward still sitting on the couch beside them. Esme and Carlisle had left.

"I forgot you two were mates for a second," he said with a hint of humor. "I think I'll leave you alone." He stood up and was up the stairs to the second floor in seconds. Jasper turned his head to get a better view of where Edward went, but Alice took his chin gently in her hand and directed his lips back to hers. In a flash she was straddling him. Jasper ran his hands up and down her back as she leaned him tightly against the back of the couch. "Jasper," she whispered between the kisses. "Yes?" he managed to whisper back, though it sounded like only a breath. "Jasper, we need to get out of here," she said between more kisses. He nearly stopped. Didn't they spend so much time trying to get here? Why would they leave? Hadn't she just said that he could be strong and survive their trip to the movies? Instead, he held onto her tighter and grinded his hips into her roughly. With a gasp she took all her might and pushed him away with such force she fell backwards onto the floor.

Jasper had scooped her up and into a standing position immediately. "Are you alright?" he asked out of habit. It was a natural, perfectly _human_ thing to ask when someone fell. She looked up to him with beautiful cherry eyes. "Yes. I'm fine." Jasper checked her over, making sure she was certainly fine, before asking, "Why do we need to leave? We were doing alright here. You know Carlisle would be so sad if you left…"

"I didn't mean leave the family, silly!" she laughed sweetly. Jasper tried not to show surprise when she threw the word 'family' around so casually. "I just meant we…er…can't do anything on their couch. Not out where everyone can see us." Jasper grinned. "And hear us," he added slyly. He swept her into his arms and walked, human speed, to the back door. Behind the house there was a nice sized backyard covered in beautiful grass and barely any vegetation besides that. "This is different than the woods we're used to, isn't it?" he asked with another grin. Alice, whose arms were clipped tightly behind his neck, giggled and gave him a tiny peck on the cheek. "If you think you can behave I suppose we can go back into the house," Jasper muttered, nuzzling his face up to hers. She giggled again, nodding in agreement, and Jasper ran back into the house and straight up to their room where the door was shut tightly behind them.

--

"Do we have to go?" Rosalie whined from the foyer. Jasper shook his head. She certainly whined about a lot of stuff. "It'll be good for us, Rose," Emmett persisted, trying to make his wife see eye to eye with him. "This'll make me stronger around humans! And the movie might be good, who knows?" Rosalie sighed and strutted out the front door. Emmett followed her like a puppy to the car.

"You ready, Jazz?" Alice asked as she approached, automatically fixing the collar of his shirt. "Yes, Ma'am," he said placing his hand on her hips, drawing her closer to lean against his chest. She smiled and pecked him on the lips, running her hands through the back of his hair then quickly grabbing his hat off his head and prancing off to the front door with it. Jasper smiled and shook his head, making his way to the front door himself. In the front, everyone else was all ready to go. They were standing at the bottom of the driveway waiting to leave. It was about three blocks into town, and it was a relatively nice day out, except for the lack of sunshine, so driving was out of the question. As Jasper joined the group, Edward plucked the hat off of Alice's head and returned it to its rightful owner. "A cowboy hat," muttered Edward. "How very fitting." Jasper smirked and brushed back his shaggy blonde hair before placing the hat back on his head.

They made their way down the Avenue, stopping at a few stores on the way. Jasper hated how the contacts (he had discovered they'd meant _eye_ contacts) fogged up his vision. At every store, Alice had something she wanted to show him from previous trips. He had to go right up to something to see the details of it. It was terrible – like someone was holding a sheet in front of him. Alice was so happy he was there though. Every time she realized she wasn't holding his hand, or snuggling his arm, or clipping to his waist, she would cling to him as quickly as possible. And she seemed completely at ease around the humans – unlike Jasper.

He was suffering - and immensely so. His throat burned with the yearning to taste just one of the oh-so-appetizing humans. He hadn't tasted decent blood in nearly a month and it was torture. Every time the wind blew his whole being would ache with want and passion so much that he had to bite his own hand a few times to get himself to calm down. None of this seemed to be bothering anyone else, however. They just acted as if it were any other normal day. The only ones who were really worried were Edward – who could surely be hearing all these gore-filled fantasies he was having - and Alice – who was probably just worried because he was acting so strange…unless she saw something in a vision.

Finally, around five o'clock, they arrived at the movie theatre. They were seeing some movie called "The Magnet" that had just come out. Jasper wasn't so interested in the film, he just wanted to get through it without killing anyone. They bought their tickets and were seated immediately. In a few minutes, the lights went out, the movie started, and everything was quiet except for the film. Jasper kept his face down, gripping the arm rests tightly and holding his breath. The sooner this was over the better. He knew it was a bad idea for him to go out of the house. He wasn't ready yet.

Jasper accidentally took a breath when Alice muttered something to him. What she said he didn't hear, however, for he was too preoccupied with the beautiful scent that filled his nostrils when he inhaled. He spotted a young girl sitting in the seats in front of him. He pictured himself leaning up and pressing his lips to the spot on her neck where her blood pumped the fullest. He could nearly feel himself piercing her paper-thin skin and her blood seeping through into his mouth, dripping down his throat and satisfying that damned burning…

Suddenly, someone kicked his leg. He looked over to see Edward's golden eyes glaring at him through the darkness. "Get out," he mouthed to Jasper and he stood up right away. "I'll be right back," he whispered to Alice to hush her protests. As soon as he was out, he knew where he needed to go. He ran, as quickly as _humanly_ possible, up the street towards the house. He needed to hunt. He needed to drink. _Now. _He was nearly to the house when a glorious smell hit his nose. He turned to a tiny side street to see a young woman taking out the garbage behind her house. She was looking at something, but, because of his contacts, he couldn't see what. He could smell it though. She had cut herself. Her hand was…bleeding. His body stiffened and he twitched slightly. _Don't do it,_ he told himself. _Alice will be so upset. The Cullen's will be put through so much trouble. They will hate you. They won't trust you…_

It was very rare that Jasper got to act out one of his fantasies. Today was one of those elusive occurrences. He moved forward slowly, his hands clipped together behind his back. "Excuse me, Miss?" he called, his southern accent clear in his voice. The woman turned to stare at him and her eyes grew wide in wonder. She was surprised – shocked at his beauty no doubt. "I was wondering…are you alright?" The woman was stunned for a moment, but quickly found her voice. "Uh…yes…I…I just cut myself on the fence here. I'm fine, thank you." Jasper looked at her thoughtfully. The venom in his mouth was beginning to pool, but it was doing nothing to ease his thirst. His throat burned worse than ever now. "Are you bleeding?" he asked in a fascinated voice. The lady nodded, frozen in wonder and fear. Jasper was but a foot away from her now. "Perhaps I can ease your pain," he said in a voice like a serpent.

He pounced on her and ran with her. Her desperate cry was lost in the wind as they went. He found a ratted building and he threw her behind It against a moss-covered brick wall. He heard her back crack clearly, even from the thirty-something feet away. He grinned and pounced on her. He ignored the screams, ignored the guilt, as he lowered his mouth to her neck and nearly ripped her skin away with his teeth. Her flesh was broken and in a split second his mouth was filled with the warm, sweet, sticky substance. He growled deeply and drank as if he'd never fed before.

When the woman was completely dry, he dropped her, stood up, and looked down at her lifeless, ruined body and sighed. He was a monster. He shook his head. There was no reason he deserved to live. How could he do that to such an innocent person? She couldn't be past her twenties, maybe even younger. She probably had a family at home worried sick about her and look what he did. When they found her, they would be completely devastated. Jasper felt the air get caught in his throat and he made a small choking noise. He began backing up, step by step. No matter what he did, though, he couldn't look away from the woman's body. He sat on the ground, leaning up against the wall, hugging his knees to his chest and resting his head upon them. He stared at the lady, a dark heap of skin and bones lying in a crumpled mess on the ground and he choked again. There were so many things wrong here. He finally pulled his eyes away from the woman and leaned, face down, into his knees. He stayed like that in silence for a long while until he heard someone call his name.

"Jasper?"

He looked up to see Alice and the first thing she did was gasp and take a step back. Edward was with her, standing behind her. A deep frown formed on his face, but he didn't move an inch. What were they staring at? He could feel Alice's surprise and fear. She was…afraid of him? But…how could she be…

Jasper's eyes fell on a puddle in front of him. He gazed at his reflection. Oh, that was it. His eyes. Ever since they had moved in with the Cullen's they'd been more of a pinkish colour. But his were definitely red. Blood red. He looked up to Alice and Edward with a shameful look and Edward winced slightly. He must've been a pathetic sight to see. "Jasper," Alice whispered, his face still slightly shocked. "What…what did you do?" Jasper tilted his head to the side. "I'm sorry, Alice. I couldn't…" He didn't finish. It was too embarrassing.

After a few seconds of thought, Jasper asked quietly, "You didn't see it?" Alice shook her head. "Not until you decided to attack her," she said slowly. "We came right after you immediately after I saw it…" Jasper stood slowly, yet stealthily, and faced the other two. "Where is everyone else?" he asked in a tired voice. "Looking for you," Edward said softly.

--

"Jasper, please don't be too hard on yourself," Carlisle said for the hundredth time. Jasper shook his head. "I'm sorry, Carlisle," he said. "I've ruined your family." Carlisle shook his head in a desperate attempt to prove Jasper wrong. "No! That's not true. These things happen." He offered a smile. Jasper didn't return it. "I told you, Emmett did the same thing a few months ago." Jasper refused to even look at the doctor now, so Carlisle stood from the table.

Rosalie finally looked up from the tele in the next room. "What are we going to do now?" she asked in a bored tone. Carlisle sighed. "I suppose we'll have to move somewhere else." Jasper's head snapped up and Carlisle added quickly, "Like we always do." This didn't reassure him at all, but he appreciated Carlisle's optimistic-like attitude. "Do you want me and Jasper to leave?" Alice asked quietly from her chair next to Jasper at the dining room table. Carlisle turned quickly to look at her with an alarmed expression. "Certainly not!" he said. "You two are part of our family now. We'd never abandon you for something as…trivial as this." This statement took Jasper by surprise. He had never realized, before this point, that he was really considered part of the Cullen clan. He offered Carlisle a tiny smile and Carlisle beamed back in return.

"So it's settled then," he said happily. "We'll move in the morning. Where we're going I don't know though." His brows furrowed deeply in though. "Washington," Alice said simply, as if it was so obvious. "Do you see us going to Washington, Alice?" Carlisle asked thoughtfully, an amused smile playing at his lips. "Yes, yes I do," she said with a bounce. "Forks, Washington matter o' fact."

- - - - -

The trip seemed almost too familiar… Strange. He'd never been to Washington before. It must've just been the feeling of being on the road again that had him wound so tight.

And the fact that the entire clan was moving because of him.

Because he was too weak.

_Weak._

That word had been echoing in Jasper's mind for the last week. They traveled by foot, which was to be expected. Rosalie was reluctant to give up her car, but Emmett promised he'd make it up to her. By the way he was feeling, Jasper was nearly positive he didn't want to know how he was going to make it up.

As always, Alice rode contently on his back, burying her face in his neck and the hood of his jacket. Jasper would stop occasionally to make sure she didn't need anything. She was always perfectly fine. That didn't stop him from worrying. "Alice," he would say. "Anything you want, you tell me, alright? I don't want this to end up like last time when we were so unhappy." She would always smile and say, "All I need is you." If his heart was functional, it would have pumped right out of his shining, marled chest.

"Alice," he muttered as they ran several hundred feet behind Edward who was the next in line ahead of them. Alice nodded in response. "Why Forks?" He had refrained from asking thus far. "Think about it, Jazz," she said softly in a bored voice. "Why Washington?" Jasper considered the position and immediately discarded its location because of it's proximity to the water. It would be easy for the enemy to attack from the East, only taking them a day to directly attack or surround the entire state. But Jasper knew Alice wasn't speaking from a military point of view, so he thought again. Forks was, no doubt, a boring, small town, so… "It's a good place because of the lack of activity," he said. Alice nodded. "What else?" she asked, as if she were teaching Jasper to solve a very simple puzzle. Washington…it rained a lot in Seattle. Was Forks near Seattle? Why would rain be useful? People didn't like rain so they wouldn't…get near them? Or…or…rain meant…

Jasper looked at the sky. The sun wasn't out today. It was covered by… "It's cloudy there so we can go out during the day, right?" Jasper knew from living with the Cullen's for the last few weeks that avoiding the sun was something you wanted to do while living near humans. They didn't take kindly to the sparkling. Alice giggled. "Yes, and what else?" He had never been to Forks, but he had an idea. The burning in his throat told him Carlisle would probably decide to move them somewhere where they could get a fairly decent meal. "Are there lots of woods there?" Alice nodded again. "Good for hunting," she said, leaning her cheek against his back again. "Thank God for that," he said quietly. Alice chuckled again. "May I help you?" he asked with one eyebrow raised. "Your accent is so cute, Jazzy," she said in a squeak. Jasper laughed shortly.

After a few weeks of running – it was much easier having a specific location rather than getting lost all the time – they finally arrived to the tiny, pathetic town of Forks. For those of you who don't know, the population in 1950 was six hundred and seventeen people – fairly small. When they arrived, however, Carlisle made sure that they were not seen at all. They entered the town through the woods. "You all had better stay here," he told the gang. "Edward and I will survey the area and make sure it's alright." They took off immediately, leaving the rest to wait helplessly. Jasper hated being helpless. He remained completely silent as they waited, not letting go of Alice or moving an inch. About ten minutes later, they were back with news. "The town seems alright," Carlisle told them. "It's very small…the people here seem generous. And I might have found a place for us to live."

It was a dump. Jasper didn't even know how the building was still standing. The mansion was three stories tall, with boarded up windows and nests of spiders to boot. He was disgusted with it, and Alice didn't seem too pleased, but the Cullen family seemed right at home. All five of them filed into the large foyer in the front and immediately they seemed completely comfortable. Even Rosalie, who Jasper was sure would go on and on about how horrible the house was, didn't even say a word. She sat right down on the disgusting sofa and began cuddling and talking with Emmett. Edward began to wander upstairs to check the place out and Carlisle walked out the back door to see how close the house was from town. The only person that remained in the room with them now was Esme, who was, curiously enough, measuring a wall.

Alice danced over to Esme to hold the measuring tape for her. "Esme, what are you doing?" she asked curiously. "I'm measuring this wall to see if a piano will fit, sweetie," she said in a dreamy voice. "A piano? For what?" Alice squeaked, reeling the tape measure back in and crossing the room to be with Esme. "Edward loves to play the piano," she said examining the framework of a very fragile looking door. "Oh yes," Alice said smiling. "I forgot about Edward's love for music." She moved to stand directly next to Esme now, becoming fascinated with what she was observing. "Are you considering fixing up the house, Esme?" Jasper asked quietly. She turned to him. "Yes, in fact, I am. That is one of my favourite hobbies. Whenever Carlisle and I move somewhere, I fix up a house for us to live in." She smiled lovingly at him. Jasper couldn't help but return with a small grin. "I've built Emmett and Rosalie several houses already." She snickered lightly. "Several?" Alice piped in again, now examining the framework also, trying to find out what was so interesting about it. "Why would you need more than one house?"

Emmett laughed from the other room. It was a deep, rumbling noise that nearly shook the old mansion to the core. "We accidently knocked 'em down, Alice," he said with a grin. Rosalie smiled slyly and kissed his neck. Ew gross. Alice's eyes grew wide. "Oh…wow." Emmett grinned at her again. "Jasper, we never knocked down a house before," she whispered to him. Emmett looked at Jasper expectantly. "No," Jasper said confidently. "That's because we've never lived in a house, sweetie. We've knocked down forests though." Alice smiled and nodded thoughtfully. That wiped the smug look off Emmett's face.

--

In a short month, Esme had fixed up the house to look brand new, Carlisle had acquired a job at the hospital in town under a different name, and they'd all resumed they're family roles. Carlisle had adopted Esme, Edward, and Rosalie. Emmett was his nephew and Alice and Jasper were the cousins. One big happy family. The townspeople didn't even know about the kids though, and Jasper found it foolish to assume the positions. As far as the people of Forks, Washington were aware, Carlisle and his foster daughter, Emily (Esme), lived alone in the mansion in the woods. And because Carlisle was such a good doctor, he became popular very quickly. So no one bothered him about his family history.

"And why did you two change your names?" Rosalie asked one night when they were all lounging in the living room. Alice, who had been sitting on the floor in front of the couch, turned to face Rosalie behind her. "I told you, I saw us leaving here, then coming back a few years later," Alice said simply. Rose stared at her, obviously unsatisfied with her answer. "Then why would we even bother coming here in the first place?" Alice blinked. "I'm not sure," she said with a blank expression. "I just saw us coming here. But if we use our real names now, before we leave, then when we come back, people will notice we haven't changed." Alice nodded. Emmett chuckled. "You're wacko," he said sliding onto the floor and giving Alice a tight hug around the shoulders. Jasper tensed, staring at Emmett intently. _Calm down._ He told himself. _It's only Emmett, he's not going to do anything to hurt Alice. _He continued to frown as he watched them. "Ow, Em, you're strong," Alice said. Jasper was about to tackle Emmett away from her, when Alice wriggled free from his grip and jumped up onto the couch and planted herself in Jasper's lap. "I still don't see the point," Rosalie muttered as Alice clipped her tiny arms around Jasper's neck and giving him a peck on the cheek.

- - - - -

Racing was one of the most pointless activities he'd ever seen. Jasper just couldn't understand why Alice wasted her time running through the woods al the time. But if it made her happy, then he would let her do it. Anything to make his Alice happy.

Emmett was a pretty good challenge for her. As a new born, his legs were very powerful and he ran very fast. However, Alice's height and build was an advantage for her. She moved quickly and had great navigation – she could dodge a bullet while running straight for it. To pass the time, the two often raced through the woods, to the highway, and back. They did this several times a week and Jasper always sat in the backyard and watched. He watched as Alice gracefully leaped over tree trunks and frightened animals to reach her goal and come racing back, always just behind Emmett. Never once did she win. She practiced and practiced, working out faster methods and ways to distract the newborn if need be, but she could never seem to win.

Sometimes, Edward would sit and watch with him to keep him company. Edward said Alice could win if she continued to challenge Emmet considering he would eventually get weaker and slower. Jasper knew this was true, but he still didn't understand the purpose of racing. Edward told him that it wasn't the running, it was the competition. They were very big on competition in the Cullen family.

So Jasper sat, again, on the small stone bench behind the Cullen residence, alone, watching Alice and Emmett speed through the forest. For a while, about a minute or so after they took off, he got bored and began to examine a nearby rock. It had a distinct shape to it. This captured his attention for about thirty seconds before he heard the shout of a familiar voice from the edge of the forest. "Yes!" Alice shouted and she burst through the trees seemingly alone. Jasper couldn't help but smiling at the look of pure joy on her face. "I beat you, Em!" she shouted back into the woods. All was silent for a moment before…

_Boom!_ Something ran right into Alice, knocking her off her feet and onto the ground. Jasper was on his feet in a fraction of a second. It was only Emmett. _Calm down, calm down, _he told himself strictly. _It's only Emmett. _Though he tried pitifully to convince himself everything was fine, he couldn't rip his eyes away from the two.

Emmett was on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Alice was giggling – a good sign – and Emmett was growling playfully. Not a real growl…a slightly…human like growl. From his throat. Jasper continued to remain perfectly still. "You musta cheated, Alice," Emmett said teasingly. "There's not way you coulda beaten me." Alice giggled again.

"You're just jealous," she stated crossing her arms over her chest. Emmett grinned.

"I'm not jealous. You're just trying not to be scared of me," he said with a chuckle.

"Scared? You're not scary, why would I be afraid of you?" Alice teased back, shoving against him lightly.

"I'm damn scary when I want to be," Emmett whispered. He bared his teeth and growled menacingly at Alice. From his chest. The way he did when he was hunting. _It's. Just. Emmett._ He thought. He clenched his fists tight, keeping his feet firmly on the ground where he stood. He couldn't attack Emmett. That was ridiculous. That was…completely…

Emmett moved a fraction of an inch closer to Alice and he lost it. Jasper pounced on Emmett, grabbing him and ripping him away from Alice, throwing him to the ground, and snarling wildly. Instinctively, Emmett attacked him back. A deadly looking pair of teeth snapped inches away from Jasper's face, but he knew what to do. He backed away quickly, ducking and letting the newborn fly over his head. He turned quickly and they sprung at each other at the same time. Fangs snapped, nails ripped at each other, and constant growls echoed through the air. Faintly, Carlisle's urgent and troubled calls were heard from somewhere in the background and Alice's worried squeaks only heightened Jasper's rage. Emmett went at him again, this time fastening his jaw tightly on Jasper's shoulder. Silently, Jasper grabbed the new born and threw him off, causing him to land nearly thirty feet away.

Jasper remained standing, perfectly straight, his breathing, though unnecessary, was quick. At the sound of Alice's voice, Jasper came back to Earth, and automatically his hand went to his shoulder. He inhaled a sharp breath as his hand touched the rip in his rock hard skin. Pain ran down his arm to his fingers tips and he cursed under his breath at the familiar feeling. In a second Carlisle and Alice were at his side.

"Jasper, what happened?!" they asked in perfect harmony. Jasper sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said, ashamed of his actions. "He was…growling at you…"

"We were just playing around!" Alice cried, her face distraught. It broke his un-beating heart. "You could feel that he wasn't serious right?" Jasper shook his head.

"I could, but…He was so close to you…and he was hurting you…" Alice moved forward and took his hand, tugging him gently in the direction of the house.

"Let's go inside," she said softly. Carlisle nodded, then turned to go see Emmett who was standing with Rosalie on the opposite side of the lawn shooting nasty glances toward Jasper.

She dragged him all the way upstairs, into the lavatory, and sat him on the edge of the bathtub. "Take off your shirt," she said as she moved around the bathroom, collecting different things and placing them on the floor before him. Jasper shrugged off his already torn shirt and threw it to the ground. He didn't make a move, or a sound, as Alice stood before him, between his legs, and carefully patted the wound on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to say, love, but that really won't do anything." Alice pouted down at him.

"Well, if you're going to have _that_ attitude it certainly won't then," she said with a _hmpf! _and continued gently wiping his shoulder.

"Alice…" he said softly, placing his hands gently on her sides and pulling her closer to him, planting a kiss on her stomach and then pressing his forehead against her. She stopped with the cloth for a moment, placing a hand on his head and kissing him gently on his crown.

"We can trust these people, Jasper," she said into his hair.

"Mm," he said in response. He wasn't so sure, though Alice felt completely concerned about this subject. She was serious. Apparently, they seemed to be the only people in the world they could trust right now besides each other.

"Please, Jazz, you have to believe me," she said, her voice strained. "We need to stay here, with the Cullens. Everything will turn out okay if we do. I…I don't know what'll happen if we leave, but for now, we're okay." She stroked his hair slowly. Suddenly, a wave of fresh emotion washed over Jasper and an odd choking noise came from Alice. She was crying.

He sat up and pulled her into his lap. "Stop crying, Alice," he said softly. She leaned against him, crying into his neck. "I want us to have a family," she squeaked, sobbing again.

"We have a family," Jasper said softly, rubbing her back. Her tiny body shook in his arms.

"Then…why did you try to kill Emmett?"

Jasper was silent for a moment. He considered her question before answering, making sure he chose words that would make her understand.

"I didn't try to kill him," he said. "I admit I was a little…aggressive, and I certainly was prepared to…hurt him, should he try to do anything to you. However, I did not attack him with the intention of killing him." Alice sniffled. "I'm sorry if I scared you, but he was getting awful close to you, and he was growling at you-"

"I told you he was just fooling around!" Alice cried, sitting up in his lap and looking at him with wide eyes.

"I understand, but just…seeing you being threatened just…"

Alice took his face in her hands. He expected her to explain how she didn't need to be taken care of and he shouldn't worry about her. He would then go on to explain how he needed to because she was part of him and it was second nature – like automatically defending yourself in a battle. Instead of this conversation, however, Jasper was more than surprised when she kissed him sweetly on the lips and whispered only two words, "Thank you."

- - - - -

"I have wonderful news!" No one looked up. After the incident between Emmett and Jasper the day before, no one had really talked much. Jasper's mood killed the conversation all too quickly. Alice kept telling him not to worry, it wasn't his fault. He was only acting to protect her. But every time she tried to cheer him up, it just reminded Jasper that everyone else could feel his sour mood too. It made for a very awkward living situation. To add to the discomfort, every time Emmett passed him, Jasper could feel a wave of hatred blasting in his direction. Dirty looks and muttered curses were all he ever got. He golden haired vampire withdrew even further from the Cullen family, much to his mate's dislike.

Carlisle frowned at the lack of interest in his exciting new discovery. "C'mon now…" he said feebly in an attempt to liven everyone up. Jasper looked over and, in a sad attempt to redeem his unforgivable behavior, said, "What is your news Carlisle?" In his peripheral vision, he could see Alice and Edward smiling knowingly at each other. Carlisle beamed. "I've gotten in touch with an old friend of mine. She lives with her clan in Alaska-"Alaska!" Alice cried as she popped out of her seat and flung herself into Carlisle's arms. "This is what I saw, Carlisle!" she squeaked in delight. "Ask them if we can stay with them!" Jasper smiled apologetically for her actions. "Stay with another clan?" Edward questioned, making his way across the room to join the others. "How can we just give up this life here?"

"No need to fret, Edward," the eldest vampire said with a chuckle, ruffling Alice's hair affectionately. "They lead a life like ours. That is to say, the prefer penguins over humans." Edward's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"They don't…hunt humans?"

Jasper's throat burned as soon as the words left the boy's mouth.

"Certainly not," Carlisle answered pleasantly.

"When do we leave?" Alice peeped excitedly.

They were packing already. To some, it might seem strange that they leave on such sudden occasions. Just get up and go. But to someone who's spent their entire life on the road it's just business as usual. Accept now he had something to actually pack.

Alice flitted in and out of the room, retrieving and delivering various articles of clothing to and from Rosalie's room and Edward's room. Of course, if they were going to live in the freezing wilderness, they would have to go in style. Alice made sure of that. She had even dressed Jasper nicely, putting him in a dark, knitted turtle-neck, his nice slacks, and a pair of black leather boots. Jasper knew it was necessary to dress this way when meeting the new clan. His outer appearance wasn't exactly pleasant to the eye. He stood in their bedroom now, observing himself in the mirror – something he often tried to avoid doing. Alice had told him he looked very handsome in that sweater. He had to disagree. Jasper had never found himself attractive at all. He raised his eyebrows, highlighting a particularly nasty scar just above his left eye, and sighed.

"What're you doin', Jazz?" Alice chimed as she entered the room again, carrying a large pile of clothes that look suspiciously like Edward's.

"Nothing," he said quietly as he moved forward and took the clothes from her.

"These are new. I got them for you." Jasper smiled at her and plopped them down into his suitcase without even glancing at them.

Alice tilted her head to the side, a confused frown lingering on her perfect features. "They'll love you, Jazz," she said quietly. "Don't worry. I know they'll love you." She placed a hand on his chest, stood on her tip toes, and kissed him sweetly on the lips. Jasper shivered happily. "Not go take these shirts to Edward's room for me," she chirped, shoving his arms full of clothing. He turned silently and walked out the door.

Alice was a wonder to him. She saved his life every day. If it weren't for her, he'd probably have gone insane by now. His mind drifted away with thoughts of his mate, but he was interrupted when something hit his shoulder with a _bang!_ He winced in pain as it collided with his wound from the fight.

"Watch it, fface."

Jasper looked up to see Emmett glaring down on him. He glared back and pushed past the younger vampire, continuing his original route.

"What?" Emmett was saying behind him. "You got nothin' to say to me?" Jasper stopped and turned to face him once again. "Actually," he said, his southern drawl a bit more pronounced than usual, "I do have a question for you if you're willing to answer it." Emmett blinked. He was confused. "Ok, partner, lay it on me," he said in a southern accent of his own, a stupid looking grin positioning itself on his face. Jasper remained perfectly still, refraining any emotion, still holding thr pile of clothes perfectly in hand. "What would you do if I growled at Rosalie?"

Emmett remained silent for a few seconds before growling, "I'd rip your sorry head off." To his surprise, Jasper smiled. "I didn't rip your head off when you growled at my Alice now, did I?" Emmett didn't respond. He only stared at the blonde haired boy in frustration and wonder. "I simply tried to get you away from her. You were the one who fought back. And even then I made sure to avoid using my teeth." He shrugged his shoulder where the pain from Emmett's venom was still present.

More silence from Emmett. "If I looked so threatening necxt to Rosalie wouldn't you have done the same thing?" Still no answer. "I've tried to apologize before, but I'll do it again: I'm sorry I attacked you. It was a misjudgment. My fear for Alice got in the way of my rightful thinking. I didn't mean to harm you. I am sorry." By the time he had finished, the entire rest of the Cullen clan had all poked their heads out of their rooms to watch. Emmett continued to stand in silence. He didn't know what to say. Behind him, Jasper could hear Edward chuckle as he, no doubt, listened in on Emmett's thoughts.

"I think you two are stupid," Rosalie declared, breaking the silence that Jasper was making sure was getting more and more awkward every second. "Emy, he said he was sorry. He didn't even do anything wrong in the first place. Just say 'okay' and it'll be over with." She turned on her heel and walked back into her room. Not a second had passed and the rest of them followed suit and the two were alone in the hall once again. Jasper felt a wave of defeat hit him and he knew immediately that Emmett could defy him no longer.

"I'm sorry, man," he said quietly. "I guess I just thought it was stupid, you know? I wasn't even doing anything to her." Jasper smiled.

"I understand," he said just as gently. "Like I said before, I have an irrational worry for her. I'll work on it though. I know I can trust everyone here, I'm just not too…used to the idea yet."

"And newborns aren't really your cup of tea either," Emmett added, grinning deviously.

"Precisely."

"We cool then?"

"Of course."

The smiled genuinely at each other for a moment before Emmett added, "You need a cowboy hat to go with those boots?"

- - - - -

Jasper had never liked bathrooms. Besides the shower, there was nothing useful to be found in them. They were only empty rooms with an empty atmosphere. They had no character, no pleasant ambience, only a toilet, a sink, a bathtub and a mirror. And if there was anything Jasper hated more than the bathrooms themselves, it was the mirrors. They were nothing but a waste of space and an ego booster for vampires. He hated the way Rosalie would stand in front of it for hours on end, admiring herself and swimming in her seemingly unnoticed vanity. He did find it amusing, however, that humans believed vampires could not have a reflection when this one spent the majority of her time admiring hers. Rose surely loved the bathroom at the house in Denali, and for the exact same reason Jasper hated it - there was a full body mirror on the far wall, across from the shower.

This now was the thing that prevented Jasper from bathing himself. That damned mirror. He had tried to avoid it, but it was positioned perfectly in front, as was expected from a house full of girls. He looked at himself now and automatically disgusted thoughts filled his head. His neck, shoulders, and chest were decorated with millions 0f tiny, crescent shaped scars that painted his skin like a pale, ghost-like mural. Alice once told him that he looked even more beautiful because of them, but this did nothing for Jasper's self esteem. He couldn't help but feeI worse whenever she brought it up. To Jasper it only meant that she noticed that much more.

After years of depression and hardships, Alice had been the only thing that could cheer him up again. Her sugar and spice demeanor and pure sunshine personality did wonders for him. He knew that he wasn't the easiest person to live with, and certainly he wasn't the best lover, so he wondered quite often what it was that kept Alice binded to him. He frowned deeply at his reflection, highlighting, once again, some of his nastier markings. How could she ever love him like this? He was a monster, even more so than the rest of them. When he had first met Tanya and the others he had known immediately that their initial response to him was fear. He could feel it clearly, they were very nervous to have him around. In this house he was avoided like the plague and it was no wonder why. He couldn't blame them one bit for their behavior. It was instinctual. he could even feel fear coming from the Cullen family from time to time.

He cringed visibly at this thought just as the door to the bathroom opened. As expected, it was Alice. No one else would walk into the bathroom while Jasper was supposedly taking a shower. He watched in the mirror as she slipped inside and shut the door behind her. Jasper remained silent and still as he observed her every curious movement.

'' Ja22?" she asked quietly, stepping further into the bathroom. "What are you doing?" Translation: I saw you doing something stupid in the near future and I came to stop you.

"Nothing," Jasper muttered, averting his golden coloured eyes from the mirror. As soon as the word left his lips he could feel Alice's disapprovement.

"Something is wrong, Jasper Whitlock, and you'd better tell me what it is right this second." Jasper hesitated, still avoiding her gaze.

"Nothing is wrong," he said finally. Alice's shoulders dropped defeatedly. She shuffled across the room to stand in front of him, place a hand on his bare chest.

''Oh, Jasper," she sighed sadly. ''Have I done something wrong?"

"Have you done something wrong?" Jasper shook his head quickly. "No, no," he said softly. "Not at all. Alice, I don't think you could do something wrong if you wanted to." He smiled half-heartedly down on her. "Let me ask you a question though..." Alice buried her face in his chest and wrapped her tiny arms around his middle.

"Anything," she said with a tiny bit of relief.

"How do you put up with...this?"

She pulled away to look at him. "This?" she questioned, running her fingers over his face and neck. Jasper nodded curtly. "Easy," she replied with a sad smile. "I think you're beautiful, Jasper, you know that." Jasper remained silent.

"I think you deserve better than me," he muttered after a moment. Alice stepped back abruptly.

"Stop it, Jazz!" she cried. "How many times do I have to tell you that you're fine the way you are and I love you and...and...you...just...stop being so stupid!" Jasper stared at her with wide eyes.

"Alice, please, don't be upset. I just wonder...don't you ever wish I looked more like Edward? Or acted more like Emmett?" His "brothers". They were the essence of perfection. Alice always seemed to have much more fun with those two than with him.

She shook her head fiercely. "Never," she choked. ''You're perfect the way you are." Jasper found this comment strange. He glanced at his marled body in the mirror again. The only thing he could see was a mess. How could Alice see beauty?

She could feel his doubt. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," she said quietly.

"I just wish I could give you something better."

"And it is because of that I love you so much." In half a second she was in front of him again, lifting his face to meet hers. Their lips met tenderly and when Jasper wrapped his arms around her tightly her mouth opened against his with a slight moan. Her clothes were 0ff within the next twenty seconds and Jasper lifted her gently into the shower. She wrapped her legs around him tightly and soon cold water was running over the both of them. Alice sweetly pushed Jasper's blonde curls from his face as they kissed, keeping a tight hold around his neck with her other arm.

As Jasper pulled her tighter to him he could hardly believe the strength In emotions that was coming from her. It was now when Jasper could finally realize how much she actually loved him. He hoped it would be like this for the rest of eternity.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter up. Work and school and band have all been very busy lately. I recently got a comment telling me to make another chapter and this one's been half done for a while, so I decided to finish it tonight. Here it is! Started out kind of angsty, but turned into a sort of Esme and Jasper bonding thing. Enjoy! Review please!

* * *

It was a wonder he stuck around. Jasper knew his increasingly negative attitude was disturbing the rest of the house. And he still didn't know his host family well enough to feel comfortable inconveniencing them with his sour mood. So he spent the majority of his time in his bedroom or wandering the forest alone. As soon as he arrived back to the house, he could taste the air – they had been much happier with him gone.

This never bothered him. He knew it wasn't their fault. Everyone shared whatever emotions he was feeling. With that, and Edward reading his mind constantly, he felt absolutely no privacy, though he was getting more comfortable with the face that he could hide nothing from his brother. Edward seemed to nearly always understand and was nothing but helpful in his times of need. For that Jasper was grateful. There were some things that he just couldn't seem to fix alone. Not even Alice could get him out of some ruts he was stuck in. It was good to have someone who could, by some miracle, understand what he was feeling _and_ thinking.

As for the Denali family, as the Cullens had taken to calling them, they seemed to have the most trouble accepting Jasper for who he was. Tanya tried to be accommodating – feeling, probably, that making friends with the most dangerous will keep you safe in times of trouble. She appealed to her sisters, asking them to try and include Jasper in their daily activities, but they refused. Carmen and Eleazar did introduce themselves, telling Jasper a bit about their history and where they were headed when they met Tanya and the others. For the most part, however, they liked to stay in their own little world. Kate would give him a seductive smile every once in a while, but Jasper, much to her dislike, refused to do anything but nod back. Irina was the only one whom he'd never had any kind of interaction with. He had only seen her once – the day they arrived in Denali. It was apparent that she was avoiding him as much as possible.

But life was fair. He had shelter and different emotions to taste. At least he wasn't still living in the woods, running from place to place, hunting only in the darkest part of night when no one was around to hear their victims scream…

No. He refused to even think of things like that. He had done a fairly good job of hunting only animals these past few months. His eyes had resolved to a warm, liquid-like gold colour and he was, slowly but surely, becoming less enticed with the idea of human blood.

The lukewarm water bounced lightly off of his bare back. Today he would wear a smile on his face. He promised Alice. He'd try to be in a better mood. Think positive thoughts, be upbeat…try to spend more time with the family. He rolled his eyes. Easy for her to say. She was a social butterfly. She could make friends with a brick wall and still have it rolling with laughter. Jasper wasn't like that at all. He wondered from time to time why the fates decided to pair those two together.

He shut off the water reluctantly and stepped out of the bathtub. Pulling a towel around his waist, he shook like a dog, glancing up and silently thanking the powers that be that the mirror was completely foggy. He swiftly dashed out the door, from the bathroom to his room, and shut the door behind him. He opened the drawer to pull out a shirt – but it was empty. Shocked, he quickly opened another drawer, then another, then another – they were all empty. He stood up abruptly and muttered one name under his breath, "Alice."

Was she mad? She took his clothes? What was she thinking? He silently tip-toed out the door and stood at the top of the staircase. _There had better be a good explanation for this_, he thought as he made his way down the stairs into the living room. Of course, because Jasper's life had always been full of good luck, Irina was conveniently perched on the couch, her face buried in a book. Jasper glanced around the room, considering several plans of action. He couldn't see the kitchen from where he was standing. If was quiet, he could sneak across the living room and peak in the doorway to see if Alice was in there. If not, then there was a 70% chance that the kitchen would either be empty, or the space would be occupied by a Cullen. He decided to go with that. If one of his own clan (yes, sadly he considered himself part of their family now) saw him in a towel it wouldn't be as bad as if a near stranger saw him.

He carefully stepped off the last stair and began to slowly and deliberately make his way across the floor. His eyes were set on the kitchen doorway. He was nearly there when he heard a tiny squeak from across the room and all the sudden the calm went away and fear filled the room. He turned slightly to see Irina staring at him, eyes wide, book held up, covering her mouth. Automatically, signals of calmness and peacefulness came from Jasper, directed toward the other vampire. She loosened slightly, but still remained very tense. He didn't understand why. Surely, she'd seen a man in a towel before?

"Irina, hello," he said in a velvety voice. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I was just looking for Alice. Do you happen to know where she went?" Irina made no noise, nor did she move a muscle. Jasper waited patiently for a response. She opened her mouth to speak and Jasper forced a smile encouragingly. The smile was soon wiped off his face, however, when he realized what she was gaping at.

"Your skin!" she cried in horror. "What happened to you?!" Jasper stupidly looked down at himself and as soon as the scars hit his eyes he frowned even deeper. If he could have blushed at the moment, he'd be as red as a cherry.

"Uhh…" He was quite sure what to say. What do you say to a comment like that? "I…well…I had…a rough life before I came here…" he turned his face down embarrassment.

"Jasper?"

Jasper looked up at the familiar voice. It was Esme. "Jasper, what are you doing without your clothes?" she asked with a motherly touch to her voice, like she was scolding her son for doing something silly. Jasper opened his mouth to answer, but, feeling a lump in his throat, he closed it again, unable to speak.

"C'mon now, let's go upstairs and find you some clothes." She placed a hand gently on his bare shoulder and lead him back to the staircase. Jasper avoided Irina's gaze as he made his way back up to his room.

Her words echoed in his head. _Your skin! What happened to you?! _She looked horrified as if she'd just seen a terrible monster. Jasper shook his head. He'd forgotten about the reason for his wearing turtlenecks all the time. Esme sat him gently on the bed and left the room. She was back a few moments later with a handful of Edward's clothes.

She sat beside him and dropped the pile gently in his lap. "Put these on," she said gently. Jasper stared blankly at them and Esme remained seated. "Don't let her bother you, Jasper," she said softly. "These girls are just very sensitive. They're used to a pleasant life, remember. You are…let's say…their first taste of danger?" She giggled contently. Jasper smirked slightly. "Don't take it offensively. They mean you no harm. They like you, they really do." Jasper found this extremely unlikely, judging by the way they felt and acted around him, but he decided he'd try and take her word for it.

After a few minutes of silence, Jasper asked quietly, "What happened to my clothes?" Esme laughed again.

"Alice took them," she said with a smile. As expected. "She went to buy you more, though. Something about your clothes being "out of style". She did it for all of us, but I assume she forgot you weren't wearing any clothes at the time." Jasper smirked. That did seem like something Alice would do.

He looked at Esme, his golden eyes sparkling with happiness for the first time in a while. "Thank you, Esme," he said to her.

"What ever for?"

"For…being my mother."

She smiled and patted his hand lovingly before standing and making her way over to the door. "Any time."


	15. Chapter 15

Okay, so this chapter came as a total surprise, even to me. This was supposed to be a cute chapter about a snowball fight between Alice and Jasper and it turned into something completely different. Anyway, I just saw the movie tonight!! So my muse is totally back for a little while. Hope you guys like this chapter!

~Fool

- - - - -

The whole concept of family had always made Jasper feel so guilty. After leaving his family so abruptly and never speaking to them again, he always felt he never deserved to have one again. Although, the thought was tempting. Just as it was with blood, one taste and the thought of knowing you can have more is just too good to ignore. Without realizing it, Jasper had been accepted into a family. Esme's act of kindness showed him exactly how much he was loved and needed by the Cullens. He had felt so happy after their conversation that he no longer cared what Irina and the others cared about him or his looks or his attitude. He had his family and that was more than enough for him.

There was a whole other side to family, however. That was not only mother, father, brothers, and sisters. That side was husband and wife. And Jasper would have been completely content with his life as it was if the concept of marriage weren't being brought back into the picture. But it was. By Rosalie and Emmett. They were getting married. Again.

"Didn't you just get married a year ago?" Edward asked, leaning carefully on the counter to talk to his surrogate sister across the kitchen. Jasper was standing quietly in the corner, observing their conversation. He found it quite curious, the whole "second wedding" thing, but he wasn't going to bother Rosalie about it. He didn't feel like listening to the long-winded answer she was sure to give. Edward knew this and decided he'd take the heat for his brother.

"Exactly," Rosalie answered with a happy smirk. "A year ago twenty-eight days from today." He leaned on the counter to match Edward's posture and stare him directly in the eye. "Call it a…renewal of the vows but…fancier." She smiled again and stood up to move to the kitchen window. Jasper stole a quick glance out to where she was looking. Emmett and Eleazar were having an arm-wrestling match. Of course, she was admiring his muscles.

_I still don't see the point._ Jasper thought cynically. Edward looked to him and shrugged. Neither of them could hazard a guess as to why anyone would want to put up with a wedding more than once. Perhaps it was because they were boys. It seemed hard to believe that women could feel so completely differently, however.

He left the room and Jasper's eyes wandered back to Rosalie. She always wanted to be the center of attention. That could be the only reason she would want to get married a second time. Jasper and Alice had never even been married before. As silly as Jasper found the whole thing, his frozen heart couldn't help but hurt at the thought. Deep deep down, he wanted nothing more than for it to be his wedding, not Rose's.

Hmm…Alice and Rosalie were technically sister's. They went shopping together. They seemed to be good friends. Perhaps Alice had mentioned something to Rose about their relationship and Rosalie would share it with him. For a moment, he found it foolish that he didn't just go to Alice, but, for some reason, he found it slightly embarrassing that he wasn't already aware of the information he was craving.

"Hey, Rose?" his quiet voice carried over the small room. Rosalie turned immediately to face him. Her face was kinder than he'd seen it before. Perhaps she was softened by her good mood.

"Yea, Jazz?" she responded, affectionately using his nickname. His eyebrows came together slightly, puzzled.

"I wanted to ask you something…about Alice." Rosalie smiled slightly.

"Sure, what is it?"

He hesitated. Was this such a good idea? "I was wondering…does she ever…mention me to you?" To his extreme surprise, Rosalie laughed aloud.

"Sometimes. Why? Any specific reason?" Jasper hesitated again, remaining a statue in the corner of the room.

"I just…" He paused, looking intently into her face. She was amused by this. She must've felt his nervousness. He quickly calmed the room. "I was just curious if she ever mentioned anything about…marriage?" Rosalie smiled again and moved toward Jasper. He tensed even more, if that was possible, as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let me guess here," she said slowly, stroking his shoulder in a feeble attempt to calm him. He could feel her fear though; it was hard for her to be this near to him. "You want to know if Alice has ever expressed an interest in marrying you? You feel like you want your relationship to be stronger and it puzzles you that Emmett and I are to be married a second time when you two have yet to be married at all?" Jasper caught his breath.

"I thought Edward was the mind reader," he muttered with a tiny smile. Rose, once again, smiled back.

"How cute!" she exclaimed, moving slightly closer. Jasper could feel the atmosphere in the room become clearly less tense. "To be honest, no, she has not said anything to me about it. However, I'm sure she would love to! I mean, you two are already going to be together forever, why not tie the knot? It would be so sweet!"

Jasper laughed nervously. "My thoughts exactly," he said quietly. Rose tilted her head to the side to get a better look at her surrogate brother. Very carefully, with all of her strength, she moved her hand from his should to place it on his cheek. Jasper remained very still as she did so, quite uncomfortable with the touching, but also moved that she was being so caring towards him. He calmed the two of them again. It didn't relieve his stress.

"I think you should ask her," she said knowingly.

"You do?" Jasper asked in a whisper.

"Oh absolutely," she said, nodding. "Tonight." He gulped.

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

He wasn't sure he was quite prepared for that. Tonight? Wouldn't he need a ring? Or something? Flowers? Shouldn't they be on a date? Rosalie could feel his anxiousness.

"I have a ring you can give her."

All he could do was nod. Suddenly, he was filled with fear. What if she refused? What if she ran away and never came back? He couldn't live without her. If she left, he'd go after her. And if she refused to have him back…what then? He'd have to ask Emmett and Carlisle to finish him off. There was no way he was living without her.

"Stop worrying so much, Jasper," Rose said, removing her hand from his face and moving toward the back door. "She loves you. Nothing you can do will make her stop loving you." She left and Jasper was left staring at the blank wall before him. Alice would be home soon. He had to come up with some sort of plan. This was going to be special.

Only the best for his Alice.

--

He stood near the banister at the foot of the staircase. Tanya sat on the couch beside Carlisle and Esme. Rosalie and Emmett were cuddling in the chair in the corner. Edward was playing a piece from Mozart's Requiem on the piano. They were the only people in his line of vision. Alice was in the kitchen. Just a very short distance away from him. She had to know what he was planning. She must have seen it. But she was acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. She was keeping her feelings completely blank, her face completely stolid. He couldn't tell if she was excited or upset. Usually, when she behaved in such a way, she was trying to surprise him with something. He hoped it was the same this time.

"Alice," he said softly, loud enough for a vampire to hear quietly from a room away. At human-speed, she walked through the door way into his view. Her face was of complete curiosity. Her mood was indifferent. He was immediately struck with fear. "Do you think I could speak to you upstairs for a moment?"

"Sure, Sweetie," she said happily and skipped up the stairs. Jasper quickly followed her, but not after glancing a smirk on Rosalie's face from across the room. Emmett, Emse, and Carlilse were smirking too. She had told them all. He would've cringed if he'd had enough time to react. But in a second, they were both at the top of the stairs and on their way to the bedroom.

Alice jumped onto the bed and sat on it, Indian-style, staring up to Jasper with wide eyes. She was so cute. He smiled lightly and sat beside her. "Alice…I'm…sure you saw this coming well…" He looked away from her for a moment. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her make a movement like she was going to rub his back, like she did to comfort him, but she remained still. She thought better of it.

He could taste her mood now. She was nervous. He couldn't tell if it was a good or bad nervous though. He took a deep breath. "Alice…" He pulled a tiny black box out of the pocket of his sweater. "I love you, and I know we're going to spend the rest of eternity with each other, and I wouldn't have it any other way so…would you…I mean…I think we should…make it…of- I think we sho- Maybe if we- Ahh…" For the first time in his life, he felt speechless. The more he spoke, the clearer Alice's feelings got – she felt guilty. Undeniable guilt. Jasper shook lightly. "I mean…I know it's cliché, but…I think we should get married." He opened the box as slowly as possible and showed it to her. It was a white-gold band encrusted with three white diamonds. Alice took the box from him gently. He looked up to her face, which peered back at him, completely emotionless, and from below, he heard the tiny _click!_ of the velvet coated box closing, locking the ring inside.

His whole body froze. Confusion filled him. She…she didn't want to marry him.

"Jasper," she said quietly. Immediately, all emotion poured from her so intensely that it actually hurt Jasper to feel it all at once. She was angry – angry at him for embarrassing her and angry at herself for being naive. She was embarrassed and upset because of the whole ordeal. She felt guilty for hurting him, ashamed for not being able to say yes, scared of what he might do and what might come because of this, and there was a tiny bit of her that wanted nothing more than to cry on Jasper's should and let him cry on hers as well. Words were not needed. She knew this.

Quickly, she stood, turned, and jumped out the window, running far into the woods. Jasper was in complete shock. After about ten minutes of staring into the empty space in front of him, he stood, and made his way, little by little, down the stairs and into the living room. All eyes were on him as he stopped directly in front of Rosalie and Emmett. Concern and confusion were the only emotions in the room, though he could still strongly feel Alice's feelings of hurt. He extended his hand to Rosalie. In it was the little black box. After a moment, she took it from him. She didn't dare open it, he knew.

All remained still for a moment before a noise came from behind him. A mixture of emotions ran through him as Alice quietly entered, hovering near the doorway. He didn't look at her. He didn't think he could take it. She opened her mouth to speak, but whatever words she said, he didn't hear, for he was outside and running deep into the forest, through the snow and ice, within a second.


	16. Chapter 15 pt2

I really wanted to randomly write this chapter from Alice's perspective. It explains (I think) what she was thinking and what happens after Jasper runs off.

- - - - -

He was going to ask her to marry him. Alice froze, allowing the sweater she was holding to drop to the floor. She could see it clearly. They were sitting in their bed, Jasper handed her a small black box, she opened it and looked inside…

"Ma'am?" The sales clerk said, gently taking her arm and shaking her slightly. Her attention snapped back to the room she was in. "Are you alright?" he questioned.

"Oh, I'm fine, sorry," she muttered, quickly collecting her things and rushing out of the store.

If there was one thing Alice was afraid of it was commitment. All the normal things to fear: death, pain, heights…none of those things affected her. She was a vampire. None of the human fears meant anything to her. She was grateful for this, of course, but it was horrible, this fear of anything permanent. In this case, she loved Jasper, with her whole heart. She adored him, would die for him if she could, but the thought of not having the choice of leaving him terrified her. What if something did happen, and they were married, and they needed to be separated. She would feel horrible breaking Jasper like that. Wouldn't it be much easier to leave when they didn't have some sort of special bond? But it wasn't like they didn't have one already. They were mates. Whoever the fates are decided they'd be together forever and they were going to be. They completed each other. They were lovers, protectors, best friends…everything. They were each other's worlds…but she just couldn't do it. Marriage was something that, even as a human, she found troubling. She never dreamed of the perfect wedding when she was a child – at least not that she could remember. She'd much rather be a free spirit her whole life. Of course, this was before she met Jasper, and that changed everything…

The internal conflict was far too much for her. She shook her head as to push the thoughts from her. She would say yes. She had to. She couldn't hurt Jasper by saying no. He would be happy and so would she. He always made her happy. She would get to plan the perfect wedding and they'd go on the perfect honeymoon. They fit perfectly together, physically, emotionally – in every way. She pictured him now – his face, his body, recalled his personality and the sound of his voice. These thoughts usually gave her comfort, but now she felt nothing but fear. She couldn't bear to hurt him.

The house was in view now. She had to come up with a plan. One thing was for sure, she couldn't let Jasper know she had doubts. She'd have to keep her mind completely blank, her emotions completely erased, everything about her had to be hidden if she was going to protect him. She would say yes. She had to say yes.

No one was in the living room. Alice made her way straight through to the kitchen. Esme was there. Alice nearly broke down when she saw her, but, remembering Jasper, she held up. "Hello, Esme," she said pleasantly as she skipped into the room, dropping her bag of clothing onto the counter.

"Hello, Alice," Esme smiled widely at her surrogate daughter. She couldn't help herself.

"Have you seen Jasper?" she asked as calmly as possible.

"I think he's upstairs, Dear."

Alice nodded to her and grabbed her bags, and started upstairs. She had to face this now. _I'll be happy with Jasper. _She thought. _We were meant to be together. Stop being so foolish. _She pushed the door open and entered their room. Jasper was lying on their bed, staring at the ceiling a stolid expression on his face. Alice took a deep breath.

"Hey, Babe," she said as she plopped the bags down on the dresser. She moved across the room, burying the feeling of dread deep in her gut, put on a smile, and pecked Jasper on the cheek. Before he could say anything, she was out the door and half way down the stairs again. She knew ignoring him wasn't the answer, but, as wrong as it sounded, she would do anything for the few extra minutes of 'freedom'.

She scurried back down into the living room which was full of people now. Rosalie and Emmett were snuggled close on the armchair. Rose flashed her a significant smile. Could she know? Carlisle through her his usual 'welcome home' grin as Esme cuddled closer to him. Tanya's nose was buried in a book. Edward's nose was buried in sheet music. She practically ran to the kitchen. No one was in there. She ran almost immediately to the table where her plans for Rose's wedding were spread out. Designs of dresses and colour swatches were everywhere. She sat down, grabbing a pencil and her pad of paper, and was all set to work, but the theme so completely turned her off that all she could do was stare at it.

"Alice?"

Her insides froze. She quickly pushed it off as excitement and listened carefully to what else he had to say.

"Do you think I could speak to you upstairs for a moment?"

"Sure, Sweetie." Alice hopped out of her chair and took a deep breath. Looking at the papers on the table, she tried to picture herself in a beautiful wedding dress, with Jasper dressed in his old military uniform, the two of them standing at the alter confessing their love for one another – the scene made her feel sick.

She calmly walked out of the kitchen, keeping her face completely still, and making her way up the stairs. She plopped herself on the bed, glancing at her bags and tried to concentrate on other things. Jasper entered and looked down to her, smiling. Alice couldn't take her eyes off him. He was so handsome. The look of him relaxed her a bit. He sat on the bed beside her speaking quietly, calmly, "Alice…I'm…sure you saw this coming well…" This was it. Soon, she'd be engaged. Engaged to the love of her life. _Yes…remember say yes! _He looked so nervous. She wanted to hold him so badly, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. It was like…giving him false hope. What was wrong with her?

"Alice…" He pulled a tiny black box out of the pocket of his sweater. "I love you, and I know we're going to spend the rest of eternity with each other, and I wouldn't have it any other way so…would you…I mean…I think we should…make it…of- I think we sho- Maybe if we- Ahh…" He was so cute when he stuttered. But when she saw that black box…knew what was inside…she realized that this was just too much. She couldn't go through with it. _No no no…you have to say yes! _The guilt began to sink in. She would hurt him so much…

"I mean…I know it's cliché, but…I think we should get married." He opened the box and placed it in her hands. She couldn't look at it. She didn't want her decision to be based on material things. She held his gaze fairly well as she quietly snapped the box shut.

"Jasper," she said quietly. And then, she let go. She wanted to cry so badly. Why was he doing this to her? He knew she didn't deal well with commitment. Surely he knew she would crack under the pressure. Why couldn't she just say yes? Y-E-S. It wasn't that hard to say! _YES!! Yes yes yes yes! I love you Jasper Whitlock. We are going to get married weather I like it or-_

She stood up. Jasper looked crushed. She couldn't look at him anymore. She turned and jumped out the window, landing about thirty feet from the house. She took off running. It was snowing outside. The air was cold, but she couldn't feel it. After running for a few minutes, she stopped and fell to the ground, choking on her sobs. What was wrong with her? They could have talked it out at least! She could have explained…

No…she wasn't strong enough. She had no idea how to even start a conversation like that. And now Jasper was going to hate her for running away. She had to go back and apologize. There was no choice.

---

He wouldn't forgive her. He would be angry. She told herself this over and over when deep down she knew that Jasper could never hate her. She would go back, say she was sorry, tell him why she ran away, and Jasper would take her in his arms again. That's all she wanted right now was for everything to go back to normal.

Alice snuck in the back door and walked through the kitchen. She peaked her head around the corner to see Jasper dropping the ring onto Rosalie's lap. She choked again. Her guilt was so strong her whole body hurt. "J-Jasper?" but she didn't hear her. He was already out the door.

She shook violently and dropped to her knees, burying her face in her knees.

"Alice, Sweetie, it's okay," Carlisle's comforting voice was in her ear and soon she was being lifted off the floor and carried like a baby into the kitchen where he sat her on counter. She continued to shake. "Alice, Alice, please. It's alright." She shook her head.

"No..no, no it's not. I-I got scared, Carlisle, I told him I wouldn't marry him. Why did I do that? Why was I so stupid-"

"Stop it now…" Carlisle pulled her into a big hug. She clung pitifully to his shirt, burying her face in his chest. "Jasper will forgive you. All you have to do is explain yourself. He loves you. He won't be upset."

"But you saw him he was upset he left and now he won't come back-" She was hysterical. Not even Carlisle's words could snap her out of it. She had just lost the love of her life, the meaning of her existence, because of a stupid insecurity.

Suddenly, she was being lifted out of Carlisle's arms and cradled in someone else's. The scent was familiar. Like roses and old books and fast cars – everything that made her happy. Jasper. She looked up to him with round, golden eyes. "Stop crying," he said softly. She threw her arms around his neck and held on for dear life.

"Oh, Jasper! I'm so sorry. I just got scared and…I just didn't like…"

"I know. You were uncomfortable with the thought of being tied down. I understand. It was wrong for me to push you. I'm sorry."

He was apologizing to her. She must be a terrible person. "Jasper, it's not that I don't want to stay with you forever, I do, I just…the idea of marriage…"

"I know…I know…"

He rested a hand on her head and gently pressed her to his chest. She fell silent then, rubbing her cheek against the velvety skin of his neck. "I'm sorry, Jasper. I'm just not…not ready." When would she be? She didn't know. But it was wonderful to know that Jasper would wait for her no matter what.


End file.
